CBS 5 / KCBS / AP) SAN FRANCISCO California motorists make millions of daily crossings of bridges and overpasses classified as "structurally deficient" like the span that collapsed in Minneapolis, but state transportation officials said Thursday night that none are in danger of falling down.
Federal Highway Administration records reviewed by CBS 5 show 28 percent of the state of California's bridges and overpasses - nearly 3,000 - are said to be "structurally deficient," meaning they are deteriorating, or "functionally obsolete," meaning they no longer meet transportation standards and demands.
Federal officials alerted states earlier Thursday to immediately inspect all bridges similar to the steel-deck truss Minnesota bridge that collapsed Wednesday into the Mississippi River, killing at least four people.
There are approximately 700 such spans in the nation, four of them in the Bay Area:
-- The Benicia – Martinez Bridge, whose replacement has been built and is set to open Aug. 25
-- The Presidio Viaduct on Doyle Drive approaching the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
-- The Interstate 680 Olympic Boulevard off-ramp in Walnut Creek
-- The Lake Temescal Park undercrossing of Highway 13 in Oakland
"Public safety is the administration's No. 1 priority. We will immediately re-inspect all bridges with similar construction to the one that collapsed in Minnesota," said California Department of Transportation Director Will Kempton.
Ironically, the Presidio Viaduct on Doyle Drive is also among the the key Bay Area structures listed as "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" under the FHA records looked at by CBS 5.
Others listed included a portion of the Nimitz Freeway running over 5th Avenue in Oakland and the High Street Bridge in Alameda.
Federal transportation officials classify a bridge "structurally deficient" if it needs significant maintenance, there are plans to replace it or if weight restrictions are imposed upon it.
Caltrans' Kempton said, however, that the designation is broad.
"Being on that list does not mean that the bridge is in danger of falling down," Kempton said. "There are many reasons bridges are placed on that list."
About 95 percent of California's deficient bridges have so-called deck problems such as eroding pavement, peeling paint, or missing highway signs, Kempton said.
The remaining 5 percent -- which the department said would take days to identify -- are being attended to, he said. They might include bridges with foundation problems, cracking in concrete or steel or heavy corrosion.
"There is no bridge in our system that is in danger of collapse at this point," according to Kempton. "Caltrans has a very effective bridge inspection program in place in this state and any serious problems are quickly identified and immediately remedied."
"Because of the ever-present earthquake danger, many of California's bridges are built to higher specifications than bridges in other states. I have full confidence in the bridges on the state's highway system and I would have no problem driving my family over any of those bridges tonight," Kempton said.
The bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed during rush hour Wednesday evening was built in 1967, rose 64 feet (19.51 meters) above the river and stretched 1,900 feet across the water. It was built with a single 458-foot-long (140-meter) steel arch to avoid the need for piers that might interfere with river navigation.
An inspection two years ago found some problems with the Minneapolis bridge, but local engineers warned the public from jumping to conclusions.
“It’s not uncommon for bridge inspectors, and these inspections get done on a pretty regular basis, to find problems and write them up,” said Brian McDonald, a structural engineer with Exponent, based in Menlo Park.
People should not be afraid when crossing any of the four steel-deck trusses in the Bay Area, said Mark Ketchum, vice president of San Francisco-based OPAC Engineering.
“These things happen very rarely. There’s no higher probability of this happening tomorrow than there was of it happening last month,” he said.
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_214204923.html
Federal Highway Administration records reviewed by CBS 5 show 28 percent of the state of California's bridges and overpasses - nearly 3,000 - are said to be "structurally deficient," meaning they are deteriorating, or "functionally obsolete," meaning they no longer meet transportation standards and demands.
Federal officials alerted states earlier Thursday to immediately inspect all bridges similar to the steel-deck truss Minnesota bridge that collapsed Wednesday into the Mississippi River, killing at least four people.
There are approximately 700 such spans in the nation, four of them in the Bay Area:
-- The Benicia – Martinez Bridge, whose replacement has been built and is set to open Aug. 25
-- The Presidio Viaduct on Doyle Drive approaching the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
-- The Interstate 680 Olympic Boulevard off-ramp in Walnut Creek
-- The Lake Temescal Park undercrossing of Highway 13 in Oakland
"Public safety is the administration's No. 1 priority. We will immediately re-inspect all bridges with similar construction to the one that collapsed in Minnesota," said California Department of Transportation Director Will Kempton.
Ironically, the Presidio Viaduct on Doyle Drive is also among the the key Bay Area structures listed as "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" under the FHA records looked at by CBS 5.
Others listed included a portion of the Nimitz Freeway running over 5th Avenue in Oakland and the High Street Bridge in Alameda.
Federal transportation officials classify a bridge "structurally deficient" if it needs significant maintenance, there are plans to replace it or if weight restrictions are imposed upon it.
Caltrans' Kempton said, however, that the designation is broad.
"Being on that list does not mean that the bridge is in danger of falling down," Kempton said. "There are many reasons bridges are placed on that list."
About 95 percent of California's deficient bridges have so-called deck problems such as eroding pavement, peeling paint, or missing highway signs, Kempton said.
The remaining 5 percent -- which the department said would take days to identify -- are being attended to, he said. They might include bridges with foundation problems, cracking in concrete or steel or heavy corrosion.
"There is no bridge in our system that is in danger of collapse at this point," according to Kempton. "Caltrans has a very effective bridge inspection program in place in this state and any serious problems are quickly identified and immediately remedied."
"Because of the ever-present earthquake danger, many of California's bridges are built to higher specifications than bridges in other states. I have full confidence in the bridges on the state's highway system and I would have no problem driving my family over any of those bridges tonight," Kempton said.
The bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed during rush hour Wednesday evening was built in 1967, rose 64 feet (19.51 meters) above the river and stretched 1,900 feet across the water. It was built with a single 458-foot-long (140-meter) steel arch to avoid the need for piers that might interfere with river navigation.
An inspection two years ago found some problems with the Minneapolis bridge, but local engineers warned the public from jumping to conclusions.
“It’s not uncommon for bridge inspectors, and these inspections get done on a pretty regular basis, to find problems and write them up,” said Brian McDonald, a structural engineer with Exponent, based in Menlo Park.
People should not be afraid when crossing any of the four steel-deck trusses in the Bay Area, said Mark Ketchum, vice president of San Francisco-based OPAC Engineering.
“These things happen very rarely. There’s no higher probability of this happening tomorrow than there was of it happening last month,” he said.
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_214204923.html