West Virginia Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox says 37 percent of the state's approximately 6,500 bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
Secretary Mattox says Wednesday evening's bridge collapse in Minnesota is a solemn reminder of just how important bridge inspections are in West Virginia and across the country.
Mattox says roughly one-third of the bridges the state Division of Highways is responsible for need some kind of repair work, but he says funding levels for those repairs are "of great concern."
Secretary Mattox says additional funding would allow the agency to do more frequent inspection on older bridges and make the necessary repairs. "We're really struggling obtaining those funds to maintain our bridges in West Virginia," Mattox said.
Bridge inspections are currently done on a two-year cycle in the Mountain State and Secretary Mattox calls the inspection program "among the best in the country." He says professional engineers take their jobs seriously.
The busiest bridge in West Virginia is the four-lane span that carries Interstate 64 traffic over the Kanawha River in Charleston.
West Virginia Turnpike General Manager Greg Barr says reports indicate that all 116 bridges on the 88-mile Turnpike "are at least in good condition." He says most of the original Turnpike bridges from the 1950s were replaced during the 1970s expansion project.
Barr says the reports from the bridge inspections lay the groundwork for maintenance jobs on Turnpike bridges.