Minnesota Bridge Collapses. How Safe Are Our Nation's Bridges?
Minnesota suffered a shocking bridge collapsed yesterday. Fifty cars and trucks plunged into the Mississippi rivers and dozens are hurt, injured and missing. A CNN article says four people have been confirmed dead and twenty to thirty people are missing. There are still 30 to 50 cars in the river. A security camera also captured the bridge collapse. For local coverage check www.StarTribune.com.
ABC's The Blotter blog reports that a Department of Transportation (DOT) study found that 160,000 of the nation's bridges - one fourth of all U.S. bridges -- are rated as "structurally deficient."
Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics show that 160,000, more than a quarter, of the nation's bridges are rated "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete," and many don't have proper warning signs restricting weight loads.
The 160,000 bridges rated deficient are not necessarily unsafe, according to DOT, as long as there are restrictions on the types of vehicles, weight or traffic volumes allowed on the bridge.
But a 2006 investigation by the DOT inspector general revealed that one out of every 10 "structurally deficient" highway bridges did not have load ratings that reflected the condition of the structure. In other words, posted signs told drivers the bridge could carry more than it could safely handle.
"In a worst-case scenario, the lack of a correct load rating or the lack of a weight limit posting could allow heavier vehicles to cross and cause severe structural damage or the collapse of a bridge," the report stated.
The article says a "structurally deficient" doesn't necessarily mean a bridge is in danger of a collapse but the article said that signs are not usually posted alerting drivers to the problem - meaning heavy trucks may cross the bridge when they should not. CNN says the Minnesota bridge was found to be structurally deficient in a 2005 study. The Minnesota bridge collapse is going to raise a lot of questions about whether enough resources are being given to our nation's roads and highways.
Update: An interactive map showing structurally deficient bridges in the U.S.
