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Team 4: PennDOT Ranks Local Bridges After Minn. Collapse
POSTED: 4:14 pm EDT August 7,
2007
UPDATED: 5:53 pm EDT August 7,
2007
PITTSBURGH -- The following is a transcript of a report by Team 4's Paul Van Osdol that first aired Aug. 7,2 007, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is promising to release inspection scores on local truss bridges, just like the one that collapsed in Minnesota.
They said that would take a couple weeks, but on Tuesday, Team 4's Paul Van Osdol was able to obtain the bridge ratings.Bridges are rated on scale of zero to 100. More than one-third of the local truss bridges got a score of less than 50 on their last inspection, which means they are in danger of failing and need to be replaced.On Tuesday, PennDOT inspectors were giving the Koppel Bridge in Beaver County a once-over and with good reason. Not only does it have the same design as the Minnesota bridge that collapsed, but in its last inspection, the Koppel Bridge had a score of 12.Inspectors found the bridge to be structurally deficient.Some other local truss bridges with low ratings include: Homestead Grays Bridge - 49 62nd Street Bridge - 42 Liberty Bridge - 37 Rankin Bridge - 35 Charles Anderson Bridge- 27 Freeport Bridge – 2On Thursday, a legislative committee demanded that PennDOT release its bridge ratings.PennDOT secretary Allen Biehler initially refused to release the information but later agreed to do it in the next few weeks.Biehler said the rating does not tell the whole story about a bridge's safety."If there's a structure that looks like a low condition rating on this national system scale, I can tell you I'm not going to alter my way of travel just because I know there's a low number," Biehler said. "It's ultimately taking that information that our engineers use to set the restrictions, if any. That's what's important."Even though PennDOT has not released the information, Team 4 was able to obtain it through the feds' Web site, since they put inspections on it.So, even though PennDOT wanted to keep the information secret, it's already out there.
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is promising to release inspection scores on local truss bridges, just like the one that collapsed in Minnesota.
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