A third of NWI bridges need work

A Times analysis of federal inspection records shows most of the more than 750 bridges in Lake and Porter counties carry structural ratings that meet national safety standards.

But the most recent available inspection reports, mostly culled from 2004 and 2005, indicate nearly a third of the bridges in Lake and Porter counties needed to be repaired or replaced.

The data does not reflect improvements made during the past two years, and transportation officials say they're constantly working to uphold the integrity of the state's 18,000 bridges. But they also acknowledge that Indiana is not immune from tragedies such as the Mississippi River bridge collapse Wednesday in Minneapolis that killed at least four and injured dozens more.

"Can it happen anywhere? Well, this year it's happened already in Ontario -- a bridge fell down. Outside of Pittsburgh a bridge fell down. In St. Louis a bridge fell down. (Tuesday) in California a bridge fell down on a FedEX truck while they were constructing it," said Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Joshua Bingham.

"History, age and use are catching up with us," Bingham said. "The age and wear and tear are catching up with the bridges."

INDOT officials inspect the state's 5,701 bridges every two years, while county highway departments largely are responsible for overseeing nearly 13,000 more structures spanning everything from canals and creeks to rivers, rail tracks and rural ditches. Local officials say the nearly 300 county-maintained bridges in Lake and Porter also are inspected every two years.

"We've had the guard rails knocked off a few sides, and things like that," said Al Hoagland, supervisor of the Porter County Highway Department. "But as far as a structural crisis, there's nothing (recent) that jumps out at me."

Bridges are graded on a 100-point safety scale. Federal regulators consider those rated 80 or below to be in need of repair, while a score of 50 or lower indicates the bridge needs to be replaced.

INDOT boasts an average structural sufficiency rating of 90 for state bridges. But the Times analysis of federal inspection data revealed 243 Northwest Indiana bridges in need of repair, including 62 state structures and another 45 along the Indiana Toll Road.

Overall, the 757 state and county bridges in Lake and Porter counties earned a passing grade, combining for an average structural sufficiency rating of 82.5 -- this despite 56 bridges, or 7.4 percent, with failing ratings of 50 or below.

At least one of those bridges, a historic one-lane steel structure spanning the Kankakee River at State Line Road in the southwest corner of Lake County, is out of commission.

"It's a steel truss bridge," said Duane Alverson, engineer for the Lake County Highway Department. "That's probably the oldest bridge we have."

Lake County is preparing for another round of bridge inspections next year. Alverson said the county has been able to acquire ample state and federal bridge funding the past decade. But he said the Minneapolis bridge collapse only underscores the wear and tear on the nation's highway infrastructure.

"It is a tragedy," Alverson said. "But it happens from time to time. There's thousands of bridges in the state of Indiana and all across the nation, and just like with roads, people struggle with money to maintain the bridges."

INDOT devotes more than $70 million a year to bridge maintenance, including about $21 million in annual grants to local highway departments. The state also is in the midst of a $187 million project to broaden and rebuild the Borman Expressway ramps -- considered bridges -- leading to and from Interstate 65.

No emergency inspections in Hoosier State
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels did not order extra bridge inspections Thursday.

"We have a very rigorous and on-going inspection process in place," said Andy Dietrick, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation.
None of the state's bridges exactly resemble the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed Wednesday, Dietrick.

"We have some similar bridges," he said. "Obviously, those will be looked at."