Sara Denhart, Madison Courier Kentucky News Desk
With the images of the Mississippi River Interstate 35W bridge collapsing fresh in their minds, local officials remain concerned about the condition of the nearly 80-year-old Madison-Milton Bridge.
The Ohio River bridge - the only bridge between the Kennedy Bridge in Louisville, Ky., and the Markland Locks and Dam Bridge in Vevay - was labeled "functionally obsolete" by inspectors, who were hired by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to complete an annual inspection of the bridge.
A "functionally obsolete" bridge is a bridge that has older design features and is one that cannot safely accommodate current traffic volumes and vehicle sizes and weights.
"The Milton-Madison Bridge is safe. The bridge is categorized as being functionally obsolete," said Andrea Clifford, public information officer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 5. "Functionally obsolete is a term used to describe the deck geometry. It does not imply issues with the structural integrity but rather capacity and design standards."
When the local bridge was constructed during 1928 and 1929, it was created for the Ford Model A. In 1929, the average car weighed about 1.1 tons. Today, America's top-selling Toyota Camry weighs almost 2 tons.
And, cars are not the only vehicles that travel on the Madison-Milton Bridge.
Tractor-trailers, which can weigh from 40,000 to 80,000 pounds, travel the bridge to take steel to and from industries in the Courierarea.
"We're putting a tremendous stress on the bridge," Madison Mayor Al Huntington said. "It's shortening its life."
Huntington watches a large number of tractor-trailers each day use the bridge. The heavy trucks are sometimes bumper-to-bumper, he said.
Before the bridge's refurbishment, the weigh limit was 31 tons. In 1997, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet removed the weight limit signs.
"(There is) no posted weight limit on this bridge," Clifford said. "(Weight limit enforcement) would be the responsibility of the Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, which is part of the Justice Cabinet."
In the past, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet told local officials and the public that the tractor-trailer drivers know to space their vehicles while traveling on the bridge. While the rule is not posted on any signs, it is an unspoken rule that truck drivers follow, the cabinet representative said.
"I don't subscribe to that," Huntington said about truck drivers knowing to put space between each truck. "The lanes are so narrow that trucks often scrape each other when passing," he said.
Because the steel truss bridge was created for Ford Model A cars, the bridge has two 10-foot-travel lanes with no shoulders and spans 3,181 feet with the longest span being 727 feet.
"This is a hazardous traffic situation," Huntington said. "It puts people at risk."
To determine if the bridge is at risk, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet conducts annual inspections. According to inspections conducted before the bridge's refurbishing in 1997, its sufficiency rating was 21.6. After refurbishing, the bridge received a 31.5 sufficiency rating out of 100. Any rating below 50 indicates extensive reworking or replacing is needed, according to Kentucky transportation reports.
"Structurally deficient is used to describe the condition of the deck, superstructure and substructure," Clifford said. "Low ratings on any of these will put a bridge in this category but may not mean the bridge is in danger."
In 2002, a fracture critical report listed 15 incidents of pack rust with one incident listing 17 places between gusset plates and eyebars. The report also showed that the deterioration of the floor system is "somewhat more advanced than observed in the fracture critical inspection performed in April 2000," said Project Manager Gordon C. Glass, an engineer at Burgess & Niple Ltd. of Lexington, Ky.
Specifically, the 2002 report listed the remaining bridge components had suffered significant local section loss. The perforated webs of some floorbeams near the outside stringers above the lower lateral bracing gussets are examples of the section loss. The report also said many of the components with prior laminating corrosion or pack rust were painted without aggressive preparation. At the time, the new paint was flaking off in large patches because of the active corrosion.
"Our inspectors meet all federal requirements and follow the best practice procedures for all inspections to ensure we gather accurate and timely information about the structural integrity of each bridge," Kentucky Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert said in a press release. "When concerns arise about a particular bridge, it will undergo greater scrutiny, maintenance and if needed - complete closure."
The closure of the Madison-Milton Bridge is what worries local officials the most.
"The refurbishment in 1997 brought us to our knees economically," Huntington said. "We don't want to lose one single person anytime or anywhere. I'm concerned about it right now."
"It worries and troubles me greatly to see a tragedy in another community," Trimble County Judge-Executive Randy Stevens said. "We've been begging for maintenance. The bridge means the livelihood of this community."
Last year, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet assured local officials of the bridge's replacement project. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012.
Earlier this year, Kentucky selected a design consultant for the new bridge, Wilbur Smith & Associates in Lexington, Ky., and the state have been conducting traffic counts in Kentucky and Indiana for the design study.
"The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has selected a design consultant to perform the preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for a new bridge between Milton and Madison," Clifford said. "The project is in the Six-Year Highway Plan."
According to the Kentucky Six-Year Highway Plan, Kentucky will need to pay about $78.5 million to complete the bridge. The construction costs alone will be $65 million.
"A replacement bridge means the bridge will be located in the same area," Stevens said. "I hope the focus and agendas do not get too far out of reach (when considering where the bridge will be located)."
"In 1994, there was so much debate on the location between the two states," Huntington said.
The two officials said the amount of debate in 1994 is what caused the state to push the construction of a new bridge behind further.
"I hope Kentucky and Indiana officials give grave consideration to our bridge," Jefferson County Commission President Julie Berry said.
How prepared is the Courierarea
for a bridge collapse disaster?
While local officials feel their community's emergency management teams are ready for a disaster, the size of such a disaster would be more than the Courierarea could handle alone.
"You're never prepared for everything," said Dave Bell, Jefferson County Emergency Management Operations Director. "You just do the best you can."
Bell said he has met with Jefferson County Coroner Alice Carlson Jackson about how Madison would react if the Madison-Milton Bridge were to collapse. He said the county does have a bridge disaster plan in place, but he wants to review it to make sure all the updates are in place.
"There would be some equipment we would need that we don't have," Bell said. "We would have to call for state and federal help."
Ronnie McCane, Trimble County Emergency Management Operations Director, said Kentucky would also need additional help.
"We wouldn't have enough to cover that," McCane said. "We'd have to have divers."
In Milton and Bedford, the fire departments have boats, and Milton Fire & Rescue has personal water crafts to use for water rescue.
"(The bridge) is an accident waiting to happen," McCane said. "I'm surprised its lasted this long."
McCane said he and other Kentucky officials have been working to create a disaster plan. He said some emergency personnel will need additional training to respond to a disaster of that scale, but most emergency responders would be able to help rescue as many people as possible.
"We would have resources to do search and rescue," Stevens said. "We are going to need lots and lots of support (with recovery)."
"It would put us under an extreme test," Huntington said. "I'd rather not think about it. I'd rather get this bridge done."