The Journal Record
By Tim Talley
Associated Press
Posted: 07:26 PM Tuesday, July 6, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – Modifications have been ordered for some Oklahoma bridges with designs similar to a bridge involved in a deadly collapse in Minnesota in 2007, transportation officials announced Tuesday.
The state Department of Transportation has ordered a design review of 95 truss bridges similar to the Interstate 35 steel truss bridge that collapsed over the Mississippi River, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100.
The agency had inspected the bridges immediately after the collapse to assure their safety, but the latest inspections have been requested by the Federal Highway Administration, said chief engineer Gary Evans.
“We are confident that there are no safety issues,” Evans said.
The design reviews are focused on the bridges’ gusset plates, metal plates that connect the structural members of a truss bridge, Evans said. A study of the Minnesota bridge collapse indicated inadequate gusset plates may have played a role in the structure’s failure on Aug. 1, 2007... FULL ARTICLE
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Tue, July 6, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski