Experts Warn of Aging, Poorly Maintained Bridges and Collapse Risks
In the wake of a recent terrifying bridge incident on the Bay Bridge in California in which pieces of steel fell off from a repair job conducted just a few weeks ago, experts are warning about the deteriorating state of the country’s bridges. As a lifelong New Jersey resident and personal injury lawyer, I know that our state has many bridges that are severely in need of repairs.
Earlier this week, motorists traveling on the Bay Bridge during rush hour got the shock of their lives when steel rods and a cross beam, weighing more than 2 tons in all, broke off the bridge and fell off. Luckily, no motorists were seriously injured. For now, bridge authorities insist high winds caused the debris to fall off. The steel was part of a section of the bridge that had been repaired over the Labor Day holiday.
Engineering experts are already decrying the poor repair job conducted on the Bay Bridge. But, there’s more to be anxious about. According to the experts, things are the same, if not worse, at thousands of other bridges across the country.
The 2007 I-35 bridge collapse in Minnesota that killed 13 people and left dozens of motorists with severe injuries and traumatic memories when the span collapsed during rush hour, is still fresh in my memory. That bridge had been declared structurally deficient. The bad news is that there are approximately 80,000 bridges nationwide that fall under the “structurally deficient” and “functionally obsolete” categories. The good news is that a “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete” categorization may not always mean that a collapse is an imminent.
In Monmouth County, we have had our share of problems with the Oceanic Bridge. Earlier this month, authorities lowered the weight limit on the bridge to 3 tons. That means that only passenger cars can use the bridge until November 15th while engineers review the safety of the bridge. Monmouth County had planned to use about $1.3 million of federal stimulus funds for temporary repairs of Oceanic Bridge. However, federal officials didn’t believe that those repairs met the criteria for stimulus money, and the funds were diverted to another project.
Scott Grossman is a New Jersey personal injury lawyer representing injury and accident victims around the state of New Jersey.
