How Safe Are Alabama’s Bridges?
Italy’s bridge collapse lead us that killed over 20 people lead us to ask the question, “How safe are Alabama’s bridges?”
The deadly bridge collapse in Italy during a heavy rainstorm is certainly not something anyone wants to encounter.
“When you have a heavy rain it could wash the piling out, the footings out through scour. There’s all type of things that could happen,” says Montgomery County Engineer George Speake.
What are the chances of something happening near you? Montgomery County has over 200 bridges, all of which County Engineer George Speake says are in good shape.
“All our old timber bridges they were replaced back in the 1980’s with pre-cast concrete bridges. All our bridges are concrete,” says Speake.
Speake says the bridges are on a 2 year cycle for inspections and if there is a problem, his team responds immediately.
“Our people are on call 24 hours a day. If we have a problem with a bridge we can have it corrected as quick as possible,” says Speake.
People like Tim Lynn who lives in Elmore County says he sees problems elsewhere in the state that raises concerns. He says those problems could easily become an issue like last year’s bridge closing on Redland Road.
“I see a lot of washouts and a lot of bridges erosion when we have a lot of rain and the bridges have a lot of cutaway-erosion and stuff around the bridges,” says Lynn.
To prevent a major tragedy, Speake says there are a few things that go into inspection.
“The condition of the bridge deck, the substructures, the piling, the channel that goes up under the bridge,” says Speake.
He says those thorough inspections, make all the difference.
“I would say it’s a very small probability of anything like that happening, especially in Montgomery County,” says Speake.
Federal law requires every bridge to be inspected every 2 years. ALDOT officials say its bridge inspection program is recognized as one of the best in the nation.
