Bridget Levitz, Truth Staff
ELKHART -- A catastrophe states away has some wondering whether a similar tragedy could happen here.
The collapse of Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis Wednesday -- after the United States Department of Transportation found structural deficiencies on the bridge two years ago -- has renewed concern over similar issues found in two of Elkhart County's bridges.
Both the Six Span and Johnson Street bridges in Elkhart are scheduled for major improvements in the next few years. But is that soon enough?
Built in 1918, the original Johnson Street Bridge -- the lanes closest to the St. Joseph River hydroelectric dam -- is shifting from its piers and is scheduled to be replaced. Six Span is showing deterioration in the beams that support the deck.
"It's been in the back of my mind," Elkhart resident Bill Van Patten said. "I travel the Johnson Street Bridge often -- it's a great thoroughfare. But I've wondered if we should be using the Main Street Bridge to get around instead. Now that this happened in Minneapolis, it's become very real."
The eight-lane Interstate 35W bridge, a major Minneapolis artery, was in the midst of repairs when it buckled during the evening rush hour Wednesday. Dozens of cars plummeted more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River.
The bridge was built in 1967 -- similar to the 1968 Six Span Bridge, and much younger than the 1918 Johnson Street Bridge. Neither local bridge is comparable in size or height to the nearly 1,900-foot-long and 64-foot high I-35W bridge.
Six Span stretches just 461 feet long and is only 8 feet above the river at its highest point, county engineer Tom Rushlow said. Johnson Street Bridge is 390 feet long and about 10 feet above water at its highest.
Elkhart County officials said Thursday despite the tragic event in Minnesota, it hasn't changed plans already in place for the two Elkhart bridges.
"I don't think it's appropriate for any kind of knee-jerk reaction based on a tragedy somewhere else," said Jeff Taylor, county highway manager.
Construction should begin on the Six Span Bridge next summer, said Taylor. Earlier this month, Elkhart County Commissioners approved $759,000 for design work on the Johnson Street Bridge.
Construction won't begin, said Taylor, until design work is complete and the county has acquired portions of the right of way.
The thing to do, he said, is to have a good maintenance program in place -- which Elkhart County has -- and stay on top of the structures so a similar thing doesn't happen locally.
"Here we have an example of a bridge that fell in the water," he said. "That's what we're trying to prevent. The time to act isn't after a tragedy."
The county inspects its 166 bridges annually. Every two years, a third-party inspector such as an engineering consulting firm conducts an inspection of its own. That information, said Taylor, is analyzed by the county and the Indiana Department of Transportation.
The county's bridge maintenance program is created based on any deficiencies or repairs found during inspection, he said.
County Commissioner Mike Yoder said Thursday he didn't see anything changing in light of the Minnesota bridge collapse.
"We've established good bridge inspection program here and are monitoring the bridges," he said. "We're taking steps to replace the ones that need replaced."
The Associated Press Contributed to this story.