Sun
Aug 5 2012
02:47 pm
Getting caught in gridlock on a failing bridge
By: fischbobber

(link...)

Here's an interesting map of structurally deficient bridges in East Tennessee. These are the bridges engineers have deemed unsafe enough to the point where failure is imminent. I got the web site from the editorial page of the Sentinel and found it interesting. I thought you might too.

I noticed that Toby had the foresight to move to a state where they appear to take better care of their bridges than we do.

It also did not escape my notice that we could put people to work and save these bridges with no net gain or loss of money by transferring the cost to the national military budget while eliminating some less than successful projects there, like, I don't know, bonuses for the guys in charge of security at weapons plants maybe?

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fischbobber's picture

The other website link

Submitted by fischbobber on Sun, 2012/08/05 - 2:56pm.

(link...)

I wish I had included this in my first post, but I didn't. So here it is.

Plus I just noticed that you have to zoom in on the map I posted or punch in a zip code. Somehow I got it to work but I didn't do a very good job of transferring that to this blog. Do you think this internets stuff is going to catch on? Sometimes it just seems like a big pain in the ass to me.

Tess's picture

searching

Submitted by Tess on Sun, 2012/08/05 - 3:10pm.

I couldn't figure out how to enter a zip code. A search by states didn't show any in TN, but I doubt that is right...

fischbobber's picture

At the top of the save our bridges site

Submitted by fischbobber on Sun, 2012/08/05 - 3:38pm.

There is a category called the map and how it works. If you click on that you will get an options list. It took me about 20 minutes to get to East Tennessee and find out that our representatives in Washington and Nashville aren't doing their jobs. Go figure.

Thanks for making me feel better. I thought it was me that was stupid and not that the site was confusing.

Tess's picture

do tell

Submitted by Tess on Sun, 2012/08/05 - 7:34pm.

Maybe you can share the names of some of the ones to avoid. I cannot figure out how to navigate the website.

fischbobber's picture

The i-40 viaduct

Submitted by fischbobber on Sun, 2012/08/05 - 8:08pm.

was the one that got my attention. It's right there at the 275 /40 intersection and gets over 100,000 vehicles a day. Plus I would have thought any necessary repairs to the bridge would have been made during smart fix.

fischbobber's picture

I-40 and the French Broad River in Jefferson county

Submitted by fischbobber on Sun, 2012/08/05 - 8:19pm.

That was another of concern to me. Only twenty something thousand vehicles a day though so the death toll won't be as bad.

I can only figure out how to click on one bridge at a time. Once I'm done with that bridge, every one I click on comes back to the original one. Then I have to log off and log back on.

It is my understanding that social activists are in dire need of writers and web site designers.

R. Neal's picture

Having spent some time

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2012/08/06 - 7:24am.

Having spent some time looking at bridge safety in the past, here are some other resources:

FHWA bridge inventory counts by state/county. According to that report, there are 18 structurally deficient bridges in Knox Co., 15 in Blount, 10 in Anderson and 6 in Loudon.

TDOT list of state maintained structurally deficient bridges.

TDOT bridge inventory with sufficiency ratings.

TDOT bridge inspection reports by county.

NOTE: The above TDOT links disappeared off the TDOT site navigation when the current administration took over and are not reachable from the TDOT front page that I can tell. Not sure if they are being maintained, but some dates look relatively current.

fischbobber's picture

Thanks!

Submitted by fischbobber on Mon, 2012/08/06 - 9:49am.

Between the ugly divorces, the God Fests, and the NRA's ceaseless grandstanding for pistol packers, we tend to forget that the purpose of government is to manage the common welfare issues of society. Like bridges.

The irony of modern politics is that we hold politicians absolutely unaccountable for doing their job and judge them wholly on their feelings about issues that, mostly, belong in the private arena to begin with.

What exactly is the sufficiency rating and how should we interpret this number?

R. Neal's picture

The guide to reading the

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2012/08/06 - 10:10am.

The guide to reading the inspection report says it is on a scale of 1 to 100 (although it appears to be reported as .1 to 10 on the inspection forms) and that anything 50 or below is considered a candidate for replacement. Not sure how that relates to structurally deficient.

Tess's picture

Thanks!

Submitted by Tess on Mon, 2012/08/06 - 8:39am.

Thanks to both of you. I will read those when I get a minute. That is important information to have.

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