States inspecting bridges

The Missouri Department of Transportation on Thursday ordered inspections of the 11 bridges, including one on U.S. 60 near Poplar Bluff, built using designs similar to the Interstate 35 bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued similar orders to the Illinois Department of Transportation, directing the agency to inspect all "critical" bridges, including those spanning the Mississippi River and other waterways.

But a Missouri program to repair or replace 800 deficient bridges, including 83 in MoDOT's District 10 in Southeast Missouri, has been delayed as the agency tries to work out bonding requirements that contractors contend are too burdensome to allow them to take on the job, transportation spokesmen said.

The bridge rehabilitation program, launched with much fanfare last year, was to have begun in July with the awarding of a contract for all 800 bridges, said Jeff Briggs, a spokesman for MoDOT. But because of questions about the size of the performance bond the winning contractor will be required to post, the earliest a contract will be awarded will be November, Briggs said.

Under the plan, slated to cost $400 million to $600 million, the contractor would repair or replace the bridges over five years, with payment being withheld until all the work is completed, Briggs said. "They would not only be brought up to good condition in five years, but they would have to keep them all in good condition for 25 years after that," Briggs said. "It would take a huge bite out of the backlog of deficient bridges in this state."

Bridges are rated on a zero to 9 scale, said Mike Helpingstine of MoDOT's District 10 office in Sikeston. Most of the bridges on the list for Southeast Missouri are rated at 4, the same rating given to the Minnesota span. Of the bridges on the list in the area, only one, in Scott County on Route EE over Little River Drainage District Ditch No. 11, is rated at 3, which is the lowest allowable rating for any bridge on the state highway system.

A low rating doesn't make a bridge unsafe, Helpingstine said. A bridge may receive a low rating because of a deteriorating deck that allows water to seep through in locations that aren't designed for drainage, he said, and bridges with the poorest ratings are inspected regularly to prevent failures.

"It depends on what causes the rating to be that low," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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