WTVM.com and WTVM News Leader 9, Columbus, GA | Area Residents To Wonder How Safe Are Our Bridges

Area Residents To Wonder How Safe Are Our Bridges

Video captured yesterday of the major bridge collapse over the Mississippi River shocked the nation.

Now many people in the Valley want to know what is being done to keep the same thing from happening to the bridges we use everyday.

"Our bridges are inspected every two years by the Georgia DOT. They keep a close check on them, give us a rating, and if we had any indication that there was a structural deficiency with the bridge we would close it," said Donna Newman, the Director of Engineering in Columbus.

According to 2006 statistics from the Federal Highway Administration, 13% of Alabama's bridges are deemed structurally deficient, which hovers around the national average of 12%.

It's even lower in Georgia, where only 8% of bridges hold that classification.

Structurally deficient, though, does not mean a bridge is unsafe, only that something does require attention or repair.

Engineers say the money to repair these problems just isn't there.

"With the socio-economic and political environment we are living in, we cannot deal with this more effectively unless you and me are willing to pay triple our taxes.  "Without more there is no way to eliminate this," said Dr. Jay Yoo, retired professor of civil engineering at Auburn University.

Two bridges on Brown Avenue in Columbus are slated for structural repair starting in 2009.

But city officials say if a major bridge problem did appear, money would not be an issue.

"We would have to take immediate action, we cannot put the traveling public at risk," said Newman.

The funds for bridge repairs usually comes from gas taxes.

Every time the gas tax is lowered to alleviate prices at the pump, people are taking away money that would go towards making these repair projects go faster.