Team 4: Governor Says Pa. Bridges Safe

POSTED: 2:39 pm EDT August 2, 2007
UPDATED: 5:46 pm EDT August 2, 2007

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The U.S. Department of Transportation said Pennsylvania has 47 steel deck-truss bridges similar to the one that collapsed in Minneapolis.

Special Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Section

PennDOT told Team 4 it is working now to locate those types of bridges in the Pittsburgh area and will re-inspect them.

But it's not just the deck-truss bridges that are keeping PennDOT engineers awake at night. They said Pennsylvania has a serious problem.

"Bridges are in dire condition in Pennsylvania," said Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 11 Executive Dan Cessna. "We are rated about worst in the country for bridge condition."

Of Pennsylvania's 22,000 bridges, 25 percent are rated structurally deficient.

What's worse is that 18 percent are functionally obsolete.

Closer to home, 16 PennDOT bridges in Allegheny County are so weak that they've been weight-restricted.

In 2005, a structurally deficient bridge over I-70 in Washington, Pa., collapsed, injuring three people.

But in the wake of the collapse in Minneapolis, Thursday's focus at PennDOT is on steel deck-truss bridges.

Gov. Ed Rendell criticized the state legislature for refusing to give PennDOT an extra $1 billion a year to repair bridges and roads. Instead, the increase was $500 million.

Rendell said since his plan to turn I-80 into a toll road is being held up by Congress, he's returning to his idea of privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike in order to pay for needed bridge repairs.

Rendell said even though Pennsylvania's bridges are crumbling, they are safe to drive. PennDOT sends inspectors out three times a year to look at the bridges that are most structurally deficient -- and occasionally, engineers shut them down if needed.

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Team 4 Investigates Crumbling Bridges, Weight Limits