The tragic news of the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota sent shock waves of concern and grief across our nation.  By now, I’m sure that you’ve heard the story of the collapse – an entire span of an interstate bridge fell in during the evening rush hour, sending tons of steel and concrete down into the waters of the Mississippi River.  As first responders scrambled to help those caught in this terrible tragedy, the story quickly ballooned into the media frenzy of the week.  At press time at least seven casualties have been confirmed, and media outlets across the nation continue to ask the ominous question “Is our country’s infrastructure safe?”  In light of these events, I’d like to take a look at some facts on Georgia’s bridges that I think readers will find interesting. 

·There are 8,975 actual bridge structures in Georgia (this includes highway overpasses which technically are bridges).  Approximately half of these bridges are on interstate or state system highways; half on local government streets and roads.

·Also, there are 5,482 culvert crossings in the state, which technically are considered bridges as well.

·The average age of the bridge structures is 36.5 years; of the culvert crossings, 37.8 years.  (Note: of the bridge structures, 2,464 are 50 or more years old.)

·By law, the Georgia Department of Transportation (through its own bridge inspection staff and consultants) inspects all of the bridges and culvert crossings once every two years.  Bridges that have “fracture critical” members (as did the Minnesota bridge) are inspected annually.

·It is practically impossible to estimate the average lifespan of a bridge.  Certainly, a broad rule of thumb would be 50 years, but many can be perfectly serviceable long beyond 50 years if maintained properly; some need replacing in less than 50, but usually because of increased traffic demands as opposed to structural issues.

·An “average” replacement cost for bridges would be between $2 million and $3 million, although many obviously would be much more expensive.

·GDOT is continuing its normal bridge inspection cycle, of course.  In addition, at the request of the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), they are re-inspecting two bridges in Georgia that are of a similar design and construction type to the Minnesota bridge (a steel deck truss bridge).  The two in Georgia are a substantial two-lane bridge across Lake Lanier on SR 53 in Hall County and much smaller, lesser-volume bridge over a rail line on SR 190 in Talbot County.  The SR 53 inspection is ongoing and will be finished soon (no significant problems are anticipated, as the bridge was inspected as part of the normal cycle only two months ago and rated 78 out of 100; typically 50 is considered average).  The Talbot bridge inspection will occur soon and likewise, no problems are anticipated.  The DOT’s bridge maintenance staff is consulting daily with the FHA, and working to address any broad, nationwide-type implications of design or construction questions arising from the Minnesota investigation.

·GDOT states that no bridge in Georgia has ever collapsed on its own like the I-35 Bridge in Minnesota.  In 1972, part of a coastal Georgia bridge collapsed when a freighter collided with one of the supports.

·Of GDOT’s approximately $2.1 billion budget for FY 08, more than $339 million has been appropriated to the State Highway System Maintenance Program for all statewide maintenance activities, including roadway maintenance, bridge inspections and bridge maintenance.

· In FY 04, 95 percent of Georgia’s highway system passed acceptable standard levels when inspected. 

As newly appointed vice chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, I want my constituents and the citizens of Georgia to know that the safety and structural integrity of our bridges, highways and roads is a key priority.  Recently, our Transportation Funding Study Committee met again to discuss new initiatives that would bring more revenue for road and bridge improvements.  For now, I’d like to dispel some of the paranoia that several media outlets are disseminating about the state of our nation’s infrastructure.  It is not crumbling; and the recent discovery that the Minnesota bridge failed due to a design flaw suggests that this tragedy was simply a random, isolated event.  The best thing that can result from this type of tragedy is a heightened awareness of the need for continued safety inspection to be sure that our bridges are safe and sound.  As transportation officials across the country now look to shore up potentially dangerous bridges, overpasses and roads, our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those who have been hurt or killed in this horrible bridge collapse. 

Please feel free to contact Sen. Chip Pearson at his office in Atlanta at 404.656.9221 or by email at chip.pearson@senate.ga.gov.