Timing of bridge checks could vary

MINNEAPOLIS -- Inspection of all state bridges is expected to be complete by December, but local bridge inspectors may not follow the same timeline.

State transportation officials on Monday set Dec. 1 as a deadline for inspecting all 3,419 state highway bridges as well as local government bridges shown to be deficient.

Less than 24 hours after the Interstate 35W bridge near Minneapolis collapsed Aug. 1, Gov. Tim Pawlenty ordered all Minnesota's 13,026 bridges be inspected.

Inspectors from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and a private firm have started inspecting more than 300 bridges that are deemed a priority because of their design or known deficiencies.

While that work is getting under way, it is not clear if local governments plan to inspect all of their bridges as Pawlenty sought.

Crews on Monday began inspecting several state bridges that are considered "fracture critical," including a Highway 23 bridge over Highway 71 near Willmar. That type of bridge is supported by two steel beams and could collapse if one of the beams failed, said Duane Hill, the statewide bridge inspection program manager.

Also, officials said a two-week inspection of the Highway 61 bridge over the Mississippi River at Hastings is set for Aug. 20.

Over 10 percent of state bridges were inspected by Monday, Hill said. The transportation department wants to complete its inspections by December because winter weather conditions can make the process difficult.

While Pawlenty ordered all Minnesota bridges inspected, his spokesman said Monday the governor has no authority over whether local governments follow through.

"We feel that counties and cities should do the same thing that the state is doing and inspect and review all of their bridges in priority order," Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said. "Hopefully, they're going to do it rapidly."

"It'd be a big effort" to get all local government bridges inspected, said Don Theisen, president of the Minnesota County Engineers Association. Each of Minnesota's 87 counties will have to decide whether all bridges can be expeditiously inspected, he said.

However, Theisen said the public should not be concerned and that engineers know which bridges should have "more attention."

"There's no bridge that's out there that hasn't been inspected in the past two years," said Theisen, a Washington County highway engineer.

Hill, too, sought to assure the public that the state's bridges are safe. If officials were concerned about a bridge's safety, it would be shut down, he said.

Meanwhile, state transportation officials said they would reveal a preliminary sketch of a new Interstate 35W bridge today. They have scheduled a Thursday meeting to begin seeking public input.