From the 4/28/07 Putnam Voice:

 

 

Going north and south on an east-west road

Mike Lackey - 04.28.2007

 

Carl G. Fisher, the entrepreneur and promoter who was called the father of the Lincoln Highway, used to say that highways are made chiefly of politics.

 

The early years of the nation’s first transcontinental highway are replete with examples. So it was perhaps appropriate that politics was a major theme of Saturday’s annual meeting of the Ohio Lincoln Highway League...

 

 

http://www.putnamtimes.com/story.php?IDnum=37908

 

From the 5/7/07 Ada Herald:

 

 

Earlier Lincoln Highway Routes Now Being Marked

 

"When ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) designated the Ohio portion of the Lincoln Highway, America's first coast-to-coast road, as an historic Ohio byway, it made sense to mark the 1928 route," Mike Hocker, Executive Director of the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway explained.

 

"This was the route that was last placed by the national Lincoln Highway Association, a group of private businessmen who'd seen the need for a transcontinental paved road to encourage the government to pay more attention to the motorcar as a way of transportation for the future."

 

"But there were earlier and alternate routes that existed," Hocker said, "that were equally as significant to the impact the road had on developing the auto economy of the U.S."...

 

http://www.adaherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=99985&TM=48064.57

 

From the 4/5/07 Lima News:

 

 

U.S. 30 project expected to finish this year

Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 04.05.2007

 

LIMA — A construction project that began two years ago should finish this year, creating four-lane access across U.S. Route 30 from the state line to Canton, state transportation officials said Wednesday.

 

The $99 million project will include construction from state Route 235 in Hancock County to Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County this year, District 1 Construction Engineer Merry said. It is the last stretch of U.S. 30 in the project to be turned into four lanes.

 

“The contractor thinks it’s realistic to finish this year and we agree with that,” Merry said. “Paving will start at the end of the month and go continuously this season.”

 

...

 

http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=37026

 

From the 4/25/07 Wooster Daily Record:

 

Despite hardships following U.S. Route 30 relocation, owners stay hopeful

By BOBBY WARREN

Staff Writer

 

WOOSTER -- Win, lose or draw sum up what business owners and managers feel about how the relocation of U.S. Route 30 has impacted their sales over the past 16 months.

 

For Karen and Denny Keplar, owners of the Country Kitchen restaurant, the drop in customers led to a decision to move their establishment off of East Lincoln Way and onto East Liberty Street. The couple operate the restaurant out of the Best Western hotel.

 

"As soon as the road went in, we dropped 20 percent," Karen Keplar said. The Keplars did not own the building, so their overhead remained high while sales fell lower.

 

More at:

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/1907461

 

From the 3/29/07 Defiance Crescent-News:

 

 

Bids open for latest project on U.S. 24

By TODD HELBERG

[email protected]

 

An Ohio contractor that is already working on the U.S. 24 project is the apparent low bidder on a section of the project in Defiance and Paulding counties.

 

Bids were opened by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Wednesday for the segment between U.S. 127 in Paulding County to Ohio 424, on Defiance's west corporation limits.

 

...

 

http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1785891

 

From the 4/11/07 Blade:

 

 

Defiance is bracing for traffic nightmare

Bottlenecks predicted during bridge repairs

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

State Rt. 281 will be closed for more than two months at U.S. 24 during construction of an interchange in Defiance starting next week, so why not close Route 281's nearby Maumee River bridge for re-decking at the same time?

 

That's what the Ohio Department of Transportation has decided to do by adding the bridge work to its contract for the interchange and adding two lanes to U.S. 24 between Defiance and Napoleon.

 

...

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/NEWS11/704110391/-1/NEWS

 

From the 4/22/07 Defiance Crescent-News:

 

 

Area gets boo$t from project on U.S. 24

By HEATHER BAUGHMAN

[email protected]

 

U.S. 24 construction may be a headache or a bother for some, but as work continues it means big business and added community benefits for others.

 

Defiance Mayor Bob Armstrong said the city is finally seeing the benefits "of this 17-year-old project."

 

...

 

http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/1895231

 

From the 5/6/07 Blade:

 

 

Fremont, Canton firms bid lowest for U.S. 24 job

 

COLUMBUS — A joint venture involving a Fremont company and a Canton firm is the apparent low bidder to build a new, four-lane U.S. 24 from U.S. 127 in Paulding County to the Indiana line, the Ohio Department of Transportation said.

 

Mosser Construction Inc. of Fremont and Beaver Excavating Co. of Canton bid $72.8 million to construct the wider,12.3-mile highway south of the existing two-lane road. Theirs was the lowest bid of four for the contract.

 

...

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070506/NEWS17/70506007/-1/RSS08

 

Link contains a photo.  From the 6/8/07 Steubenville Herald Star:

 

 

Working to save the bridge

By DAVE GOSSETT, staff writer

 

STEUBENVILLE — Susan Probert describes herself as a novice bicyclist.

 

But Thursday, Probert was one of 12 people who met to discuss preserving the Fort Steuben Bridge as a pedestrian and bike trail span across the Ohio River.

 

“Right now I have to pack up my bike and take it to a trail out of this area. We don’t have a lot of accessible bike trails in Jefferson County,” Probert explained.

 

http://www.heraldstaronline.com/articles.asp?articleID=14496

 

FULL ARTICLE HERE: Proposal calls for truck-only I-70 lane

Ohio joins other states in attempt to cut congestion, improve safety and boost commerce.

BY JESSICA WEHRMAN | DAYTON DAILY NEWS

June 9, 2007

 

WASHINGTON — Ohio and three other states are joining forces to see if they can create a trucks-only lane on all or part of an 800-mile stretch of I-70...

 

 

Bridge remains last major hurdle for Corridor D

By BRETT DUNLAP, The Parkersburg News and The Parkersburg Sentinel, June 27, 2007

 

The majority of the Parkersburg Corridor D project is complete, with the Blennerhassett Bridge as the last major hurdle left in the project. The only major section of roadway left to construct, according to a recent West Virginia Division of Highways report released on May 25, is the Ohio River span. It was 79% complete as of the time of the report, and should be complete by late November 2007. work has continued on the bridge throughout, and there was been very little rainfall to impede the workers' progress.

From the 3/30/07 Portsmouth Daily Times:

 

 

ODOT ready for demolitions

By JEFF BARRON

Friday, March 30, 2007 11:42 PM EDT

PDT Staff Writer

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation wants to start demolishing property in Sciotoville in preparation for the Portsmouth Bypass.

 

“We have acquired 13 properties,” ODOT District 9 Public Information Officer Kathleen Fuller said. “This will be the first wave.”

 

http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/articles/2007/03/31/news/local_news/1news_odot.txt

 

From the 7/8/07 Parkersburg News and Sentinel:

 

 

Corridor D expected to help growth

By JOLENE CRAIG

 

BELPRE — Growth and development are expected when Corridor D is finished and the bridge from Washington Bottom to Porterfield over the Ohio River opens.

 

"There is some land available in that area and I think we will see more development," said Mike Jacoby, director of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority. "It’s hard to predict when or where it will happen, but I am sure it will."

 

http://newsandsentinel.com/articles.asp?articleID=18092

 

Counstruction on these has started. They are doing one ramp at a time.

Did they ever figure out which ramps for sure would be getting these??  I'll be interested to see how these turn out.

Good to see them implementing this! I am assuming they are set back far enough to allow for decent acceleration, up to average urban freeway speeds, so that entering vehicles do not pose more of an obstacle than previous.

Good to see them implementing this! I am assuming they are set back far enough to allow for decent acceleration, up to average urban freeway speeds, so that entering vehicles do not pose more of an obstacle than previous.

 

The last time I was in Strongsville, they had one on the 82 ramp to 71 northbound.  You hit the nail on the head, there needs to be space for even slower vehicles like trucks to get up to freeway speeds.

 

The thing I always hate is when some freeway designer mixes accelerating and decelerating traffic in the same small spot.  The 270E exit to 71N comes to mind as well as the 480W exit to 237S.

Yeah, Columbus has way too many of those. They worked OK in the '60s when traffic volume was much lower, but today they just suck.

 

edit: I'm referring to the cloverleaf ramps that lead to nasty weaves, not ramp meters.

Hasn't this failed miserably in other cities?       I can't see this working!

They are building tons of these along GA 400 here in Atlanta.

They actually work great in places like the Twin Cities and Los Angeles. The idea is to keep the freeway moving and not allowing a thousand cars enter at the same time. Pretty simple and smart. I would like to see these put in all over Cincinnati.

They are effective until traffic on the mainline becomes so saturated that even ramp meters become ineffective. That happens typically around LOS E to F, when you should just give up all hope of merging in safely.

 

At least we are not talking about stop signs on non-existent acceleration lanes, like Pennsylvania's Interstate 70 near Pittsburgh.

Expressway plans change

By PAUL GIANNAMOR, Business editor

Weirton Daily Times

July 24, 2007

 

[Personal comment: With the state's road fund going bankrupt ($1.7 billion shortfall) due to the last administration's policy of letting too many expensive projects all at once, this is just another reality-check that cuts need to be made across the board.]

 

STEUBENVILLE — Friday should have been a day of promise, with the announcement of an environmental study engineer being hired for the 28 miles of proposed expressway to complete the U.S. Route 22 link between Pittsburgh and Columbus through Harrison and Tuscarawas counties.

 

Instead, the day was ruined Monday, when local officials learned the Ohio Department of Transportation appears ready to sit on $550,000 in federal money set aside for the study while giving priority to projects already in or near construction around the state.  Officials from across the region say now they want a meeting with ODOT and Gov. Ted Strickland to discuss the delay.

 

Tom Bayuzik, executive director of the Progress Alliance economic development organization for Jefferson County, explained the situation to officials from across East Central Ohio, including representatives from as far away as Licking County, in a meeting held Friday morning at Jefferson Community College.  Instead of an announcement of progress, the group received promises of support and planned next steps to ensure the money gets spent soon on advancing the highway project.

 

28 miles for $1 billion-- that's $35.7 million per mile.  TGV-style rail averages $25 million per mile. 

We can do the Ohio Hub for $3.8 million per mile and it will provide significant economic benefits in 5 states.

 

Besides, with the world staring down the barrel of peak oil and no combination of alternative fuels will be able to let America keep driving at the levels we are now, we really need to think hard about investing in more highways vs. more energy efficient forms of transportation.

 

 

Did they ever figure out which ramps for sure would be getting these??  I'll be interested to see how these turn out.

 

"Hamilton said ramp meters are being installed on the eastbound I-74 entrance ramps off North Bend Road in Green Township and the Montana Avenue, Beekman Street and Colerain Avenue entrance ramps in Cincinnati."

Hmm...being headed by realtors.  Uh-huh.

 

They need one on Rt 50 right as it merges with I-75 southbound. It would help smooth traffic flow there.

This all goes back to Gordon Proctor knowingly making promises he couldn't keep when he was on his way out as ODOT Director.  But my sense is that Director Beasley is going to stick to his guns and send the message that what his predecessor promised doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen.  I've spoken to a few people close to him and he was very upset at the mess Proctor and his boys left behind.  The people around Zanesville should be angry at Proctor not Gov. Strickland and Beasley.

 

Great point gildoneon the comparison between building this highway and building the Ohio Hub.  The Hub Study even indicates a justification for running commuter rail between Zanesville, Newark and Columbus.....and (as you point out) at far less cost.

What a useless expressway in my opinion.  What is the point of bypassing I-70? We do need to get smarter around the state as far as founding of anything. As far as freeways, we should upgrade the current system for safety only (i.e. adding shoulder room, redesign some interchanges) otherwise push forward with smart transportation like rail and expanded transit.

I am curious as to how much it would cost to upgrade Interstate 70 to three-lanes in each direction versus a new 22 freeway? US 22 is already an interstate-quality freeway near Steubenville eastward towards Pittsburgh, and maintains at least two-lanes in each direction. A logical upgrade would be to continue the upgrade west, but in my opinion, a super-two freeway would suffice.

 

Upgrading to three-lanes can be extremely costly as well. Since Interstate 70 is over 40 years old, for the most part, bridges might need to be replaced. Most from the 1960s only have a shelf-life of 40 to 50 years. Pavements will need to be reconstructed, since overlays on concrete is not a long-term solution. And so on.

I am curious as to how much it would cost to upgrade Interstate 70 to three-lanes in each direction versus a new 22 freeway? US 22 is already an interstate-quality freeway near Steubenville eastward towards Pittsburgh, and maintains at least two-lanes in each direction. A logical upgrade would be to continue the upgrade west, but in my opinion, a super-two freeway would suffice.

 

Upgrading to three-lanes can be extremely costly as well. Since Interstate 70 is over 40 years old, for the most part, bridges might need to be replaced. Most from the 1960s only have a shelf-life of 40 to 50 years. Pavements will need to be reconstructed, since overlays on concrete is not a long-term solution. And so on.

 

And, think of all the cuts that will have to be redone through that hilly terrain!

If the median is wide enough, as it is on most of Ohio's rural interstates, you can construct an additional lane in the median.

To widen, I think is $500,000 per mile just for the pavement structure, so could say $1 million / mile considering both directions, if pavement cost is %20 of the total cost, then we're talking $6 million/mile to widen I-70 for three lanes

 

The rehab for I-70 would have to happen anyway, so to compare apples to apples, compare how much it would be to add capacity to I-70 to equate to the new freeway,

Work on Mason bridge shows progress

Charleston Daily Mail, July 27, 2007

 

Rendering and photographs

 

See this article for something that is contradictory to this "progress."

 

Work is continuing on a new Ohio River span between Mason, West Virginia and Pomeroy, Ohio. The new $60 million, four-lane span will connect Ohio Route 833 on the Ohio side of the river with West Virginia Route 62 on the West Virginia side. Ground was broken in May 2003. It replaces the original span, which has two narrow spans, and was constructed in 1928. Financing is coming from the state of Ohio, who is paying for the entire project. Upon completion, the new bridge will be turned over to the state of West Virginia and the old bridge will be demolished.

Since the Minneapolis bridge collapse tragedy is creating postings on two different threads, I think it's a good idea to give this subject a thread of it's own.

 

First, here's a media advisory issued just today from ODOT:

 

 

Media  Advisory

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS - 1980 W. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43223

http://www.dot.state.oh.us

 

Understanding Ohio’s Bridge Inspection and Preservation Program

 

COLUMBUS (August 2, 2007) – The Ohio Department of Transportation joins the nation in monitoring the recovery and investigative efforts in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our sympathies go out to the families impacted by this tragic event. As we wait to hear from the National Transportation Safety Board on what may have caused this catastrophic failure of the I-35W bridge structure, here is some background information on Ohio’s Bridge Inspection and Preservation Program.

 

• ODOT has an aggressive bridge inspection program and devotes a significant amount of its annual budget to bridge preservation.

 

• Ohio has over 42,000 bridges, the second largest number of bridges in the country. ODOT is responsible for 14,891 bridges on the state highway system.

 

• Federal regulations require that every bridge be inspected once every two years. However, Ohio law requires all bridges to be inspected on an annual basis. This applies to the Department’s bridges as well as county and city bridges.

 

• Bridges are inspected by trained inspectors or consultants. These trained inspectors look at several key appraisal factors, including the bridge deck, the superstructure, and the piers and abutments that support the bridge.

 

• ODOT has $239 million budgeted in 2008 to the repair, replacement, and maintenance of Ohio bridges under ODOT’s authority. We also have devoted $91 million to assist Ohio’s Counties and Cities on their bridge projects.

 

SIMILARITIES IN OHIO:

 

• The engineering of the I-35W Bridge was an under-deck truss support. ODOT has inspection responsibility for 12 similar under-deck truss bridges in the state. There are 181 deck trusses statewide.

 

• Of particular interest are the 6 under-deck trusses on the interstate system. All of these bridges have been inspected within the last year.

 

• Three of these bridges are in Southwest Ohio:

• I-471 in Hamilton County

• I-71 in Warren County near Mason/Kings Island

(two separate bridges in each direction) - replacement is in design

 

• Three are in the Cleveland area:

• I-90 Innerbelt Bridge in Cuyahoga County

• I-90 in Lake County

(two separate bridges in each direction) - under construction to be replaced

 

###

 

For more information contact: Scott Varner (ODOT) at 614-644-8640 or

DISTIRCT PIO

 

 

Once again, Noozer's on it!

A few years ago I had a coworker tell me  that the I-71 bridge near KI is on it's last leg.. His buddy is an engineer with ODOT. He and his family take the long way around (Ft Ancient bridge) to avoid crossing that bridge.  :-o

Some Ohio Bridges Approach Failing Grades

Aug 02 2007 1:59PM

WBNS/ 10TV

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Three of the state's bridges - all in northeast Ohio -- are the worst in the state and are described as structurally deficient, according to a federal database that was obtained by 10 Investigates.

 

The bridges, along with several others in the state, have an under-deck truss support, similar to the bridge that collapsed Wednesday evening in Minneapolis, 10 Investigates' Lindsey Seavert reported.

 

The three worst bridges are located in Cuyahoga and Lake counties, according to the database.  Out of those, the Interstate 90 Innerbelt Bridge, located near Jacobs Field, has a sufficiency rating of 51. 

 

 

Full story at: http://10tv.com/sec=&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200708/1126796837.html

 

BTW: the above link also has a link the database of all of the bridges in Ohio.

 

Almost 3,000 Ohio bridges 'structurally deficient'

Columbus' Town Street span is among them

Thursday,  August 2, 2007 3:46 PM

By James Nash

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Nearly 3,000 bridges in Ohio are deemed “structurally deficient” — the same rating bestowed on the interstate bridge in Minneapolis two years before it collapsed into the Mississippi River yesterday.

 

That total means more than 10 percent of Ohio bridges are considered structurally deficient, while another 15 percent are rated functionally obsolete, which has less to do with safety than with design and capacity, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

 

Full story at:

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/02/ohio_bridges.html

Maybe this can be the impetus to kill the debacle that is ODOTs plan for rebuilding the interbelt through downtown Cleve. Reroute the I-90 across and through an improved I-490 bridge/I-77 interchange as KJP suggested and be done with it.

A few years ago I had a coworker tell me  that the I-71 bridge near KI is on it's last leg.. His buddy is an engineer with ODOT. He and his family take the long way around (Ft Ancient bridge) to avoid crossing that bridge.  :-o

 

That's a big drop !!!!

 

  From the archives: 

 

  This is a photo of me at a previous job on an Ohio bridge in 1999. This one was a privately owned bridge on a 10-year inspection cycle.

 

 

 

    Here are some co-workers inspecting a bridge in another state.

 

 

 

   

FHWA 12-07

Contact: Ian Grossman, (202) 366-0660

Cell: 202-253-0901

Thursday, August 2, 2007

 

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters Calls on States to Immediately Inspect All Steel Arch Truss Bridges

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today called on all states to immediately inspect any steel deck truss bridges similar to the I-35 bridge that collapsed last night in Minneapolis.

 

"Even though we don’t know what caused this collapse, we want states to immediately and thoroughly examine all similar spans out of an abundance of caution,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.

 

According to Federal Highway Administration data, there are 756 of the relatively unique steel deck truss bridges in the United States.

 

The Federal Highway Administration issued the guidance to all state transportation agencies and bridge owners strongly advising them to conduct an inspection or, at minimum, review inspection reports to determine if further action is needed.

 

# # #

DOT 75-07

Contact: Brian Turmail, Phone: (202) 366-4570

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Secretary Peters Asks Inspector General to Review the National Bridge Inspection Program

 

In response to the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota last night, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has requested the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General to conduct a rigorous assessment of the National Bridge Inspection Program.

 

“What happened in Minnesota is simply unacceptable. We must have a top-to-bottom review of the bridge inspection program to make sure that everything is being done to keep this kind of tragedy from occurring again,” Secretary Peters said.

 

The Secretary called for the Inspector General to determine if the current federal program delivers the highest level of bridge safety. And, if needed, the Inspector General will make recommendations for future changes to the program.

 

# # #

VOINOVICH PROPOSAL

Panel OKs infrastructure study

Friday,  August 3, 2007 3:36 AM

By Jonathan Riskind

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

WASHINGTON -- In a striking coincidence, a bill written by Sen. George V. Voinovich calling for a national commission to study how to improve the nation's dilapidated infrastructure was approved yesterday by a Senate committee.

 

And in the wake of the bridge collapse Wednesday in Minneapolis, the Senate could vote as early as this morning on his legislation.

 

The National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2007 was introduced in March.

 

 

Full story at:

http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/03/infrabill.ART_ART_08-03-07_A5_047H17N.html

 

Some bridges in poor state

Minn. collapse prompts checks nationwide

BY MARGARET MCGURK & GREGORY KORTE | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

August 3, 2007

 

Four major bridges in Southwest Ohio are in serious need of repair, an analysis of Ohio's bridge inventory shows.

 

Eight more are rated in "poor" condition, according to an Enquirer analysis of a federal database of Ohio's 42,000 bridges.

 

The database included ratings received from the last annual inspection. The Enquirer looked at inspections of bridges in Clermont, Butler, Hamilton and Warren counties that carry an average of 10,000 vehicles a day or more. Ohio rates bridges on a scale of 0 for "failed," to 9 for "excellent."

 

See full story by clicking headline above:

It's interesting that most of the media coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse and the follow-ups on general bridge safety around the country are focusing on the "age" of the bridges.  But what most of these reports fail to mention is that the more important factor is that these bridges are getting a daily pounding from far greater volumes of traffic and truckloads of freight than what their designers originally envisioned. 

 

Another eason that the response to this from state and federal government should be to identify and increase funding for rail & transit to take more of that load off the roadways and reduce the cost of the wear and tear and, hopefully, lives.

 

Experts: Leadership, money keys to building bridges

Interstate 35W bridge was deemed structurally deficient two years ago

By Eliott C. McLaughlin

CNN

 

(CNN) -- Nearly a quarter of the nation's roughly 600,000 major bridges carry more traffic than they were designed to bear, according to reports based on federal government data.

 

Experts said Thursday that the problem stems from a lack of money and leadership.

 

Federal Highway Administration data from 2006 shows that 24.5 percent of the nation's bridges longer than 20 feet were categorized as "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" (data from Utah and New Mexico was from 2005).

 

"Our bridges are not in very good condition in this country," said Ruth Stidger, editor in chief of the trade publication Better Roads, which compiled the data.

 

Find this article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/02/bridge.infrastructure/index.html 

 

It's interesting that most of the media coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse and the follow-ups on general bridge safety around the country are focusing on the "age" of the bridges.  But what most of these reports fail to mention is that the more important factor is that these bridges are getting a daily pounding from far greater volumes of traffic and truckloads of freight than what their designers originally envisioned. 

 

The coverage this morning on CNN was going in that direction, with the release of the ASCE report.

 

I had a nagging concern today as I drove across the Inner Belt bridge -- a similar style steel truss bridge as the one in Minneapolis. It's also an old bridge that's handling much more traffic than it was designed to handle. Worse, one the Inner Belt bridge's western support piers is in soil that is sliding toward the river requiring the bridge deck to be jacked up every so often.

What a comforting thought.  Glad I take the Rapid from W. 117th Street when I visit on business ro to go to an Indians game.

 

 

County engineers say they lack money to replace more bridges

246 spans in the Miami Valley's nine counties are rated structurally deficient

By Lynn Hulsey and Lisa A. Bernard

Staff Writers

 

Friday, August 03, 2007

 

The horrific failure of a bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis could lead to changes in how bridges are inspected and maintained across the country, experts said.

 

"When they determine what brought it down there will be a ripple effect, if they can point their finger at a given detail that didn't work or that failed," said Bradley Brown, a civil engineer for Woolpert Inc. "Unfortunately it takes an accident like that that we can learn from.

 

"When the earth shakes and things move, that's when you learn what works."

 

Find this article at:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/08/03/ddn080307bridgeinside.html 

 

 

I didn't realize the Inner Belt bridge is about 15 years older than the Minneapolis bridge.