From Deseret News archives:
6% of Utah bridges 'deficient'
UDOT chief says spans are regularly checked, serviced
Shana Lindsey, director of research and bridge operation for UDOT, said in an interview that 13 percent of the nation's nearly 600,000 bridges are structurally deficient under standards of the Federal Highway Administration.
"The average bridge (in Utah) has a 50-year life span, and most have lived that," John Njord, UDOT director, said during a meeting of the legislative interim transportation committee Wednesday. "Over 500 bridges need to be repaired in the next 10 years."
Njord assured committee members that UDOT is regularly checking and servicing bridges to ensure they are safe for the public to use and that if a bridge were ever a concern it would be closed. Most bridges in the state have been built with redundancy so that if a major part fails the structure won't collapse, Njord said.
All bridges that are maintained by the state are inspected every two years, Lindsey said. Those that are considered deficient are checked once a year or more frequently depending on the bridge's "criticality" or the volume of traffic it transports.
Lindsey said the bridges in Utah that are considered deficient typically have a lot of life left in them and can be maintained with preservation funds that are specifically earmarked for situations where immediate repairs are necessary.
In the 2009 building season UDOT will be constructing new structures or replacing components at sites around the state. There will be full bridge replacements at both Riverdale Road over I-15 at the interchange and U.S. 191 over the Colorado River. Four bridges on I-15 between Spanish Fork and Santaquin will have the decks replaced and partial depth panels installed.
The current rate of bridge construction for the department is 15 bridges a year, Carlos Braceras, deputy director for UDOT, told the interim committee Wednesday.
From now through August UDOT will be replacing bridges along I-80 between 1300 East and State Street with rapid bridge technologies that reduce traffic congestion and save time and money, officials say. The construction methods allow crews to develop the supporting structures at the base of the bridge before they launch the deck into place. John Montoya, project manager for the site, predicted that these methods shaved more than a year off the overall project had it been built using traditional techniques.
Other bridge replacements this summer at Lambs Canyon, Mountain Dell and I-215 and 3300 South this August will use rapid bridge building methods.
E-mail: cnorlen@desnews.com
Recent comments
Be grateful only 6% are deficient. In Quebec, where the winters are...
Chris | June 23, 2008 at 5:47 a.m.
Are we paying attention? UDOT is, but are the people asking the...
Pay attention | June 23, 2008 at 1:41 a.m.
- NFL: Week 12 recap 12:50 a.m.
- '12 Days' bill would top $87K 12:35 a.m.
- Study finds autism therapy works 12:35 a.m.
- Boy shot following traffic stop 12:35 a.m.
- Sports on the air 12:24 a.m.
- Herbert builds his team of rivals 12:21 a.m.
- Corroon a step closer to governor 12:21 a.m.
- Monday on TV 12:18 a.m.
- Editorial: East, West and religion 12:17 a.m.
- A deficit commission? 12:17 a.m.
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
- BYU is champion of the state
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
- Credit Coug defense for win
- Marriage definitions vary widely
- Field goals, penalties doomed Utes
- Cougar defense rose to occasion
- Banged up Jazz get best of Blazers
- Jones' joy for life remembered
- Fantasy is reality for BYU professor
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
869 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
473 - Max Hall issues apology
145 - BYU is champion of the state
137 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
117 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
116 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
90 - Hall's legacy measured today
79 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
68 - Utes fall to Seattle U. at home
65
I wanted to tell them not to go. I dropped subtle hints. "My money is on...
When I was a kid, I worshipped my grandpa. He was undoubtedly my hero....
I find it interesting that many of the same people who say that we can't...
None of these teams is going to be easy. They all have fine football...
Max, no apology was necessary, but the apology was polically correct. If...
Very good piece of writing, Amy. You summarized what many of us have been...
How is a top 25 finish make Utah a top twenty team? I think what the poster...
90% of the BYU & Utah fans have class, and Hall knows it. If you don't...
This might be my favorite article I've ever read from the Deseret News. Kudos.
Thank you for not giving up and don't give up now brother and sister...
Dr. Lois Lee's work with children who are victims of child sexual...
Look at the preview for Pixar's "Up". The whole move is summarized in...


