MARTINSBURG — A tragic bridge accident in West Virginia similar to one that occurred in Minneapolis on Wednesday was responsible for national bridge inspection standards that remain upheld today, ensuring the safety of even the most aged structures in the state.
The 1967 collapse of the 39-year-old Silver Bridge, which crossed the Ohio River between Kanauga, Ohio and Point Pleasant, killed 46 people and prompted the U.S. Congress to implement bridge inspection requirements that have mandated infrastructure inspections on an average of every two years.
“Since we were the state that suffered that collapse, we particularly have applied the national bridge inspection standards very closely and precisely, and follow and abide by those standards,” said Gary Klavuhn, bridge engineer for District 5 of the West Virginia Division of Highways.
Though two years between inspection dates is the industry standard, bridges that are very new may get a four-year inspection cycle, Klavuhn said in a telephone interview from his Mineral County office. Likewise, bridges that are old and weak are often inspected on a yearly basis, and are modified as needed.
“We inspect every bridge in Berkeley County, the Eastern Panhandle, on a regular basis,” he said.
Evaluations of load capacity allow officials to make decisions about whether or not bridges are safe for carrying school buses or normal highway loads, and if they require a weight limit or need repaired or replaced, Klavuhn said. About a dozen bridges in Berkeley County are weight-restricted because of their age, he said.
One, the Park Gap bridge on Dry Run Road, was built in the 1890s, and Klavuhn said it is safe for what it was designed to carry — horse-drawn carts or wagons.
A number of other older bridges still stand in the area, such as the old stone arch bridge at Van Metre Ford Road which was built in 1832, and are safe for the posted weight limits placed on them, Klavuhn said.
Though many motorists are nervous after watching footage of the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis, Klavuhn said no bridges in Berkeley County or the Eastern Panhandle are of the same type as that one. Prior to its replacement, however, the bridge across the Potomac River near Shepherdstown was of the same design, employing the support of large deck trusses to span the river. That bridge was replaced in 2005.
“We have a good inspection program in West Virginia,” he said. “We won’t let people drive on unsafe bridges.”
The state is one of few with decentralized bridge department operations, meaning that each of the 10 districts in West Virginia has its own inspector, repairmen and local level staff.
State Sen. John Unger, chair of the committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said state highway officials have testified to the group that regular checks for wear and tear on West Virginia bridges are being made. “There’s a list of bridges that are either going to be replaced or upgraded,” Unger said. “We’re going through that list.”
Funding for roadwork, which comes from the state gas tax, is always a concern, he said, but the state has continued to take an assertive posture prior to any new disaster involving its bridges.
“We’ve been very conscious of such a tragedy,” he said, recalling the Silver Spring collapse. “Making our roads safer has been one of the things I’ve really pushed for.”
While it doesn’t impact the Eastern Panhandle, pressure placed on bridges by overweight coal trucks elsewhere in the state often challenges the integrity of such infrastructure, he said. That and other issues, like road slippages and the security of guardrails are safety concerns that should be kept at the forefront of discussions involving roadway funding.
Because of its mountainous terrain, West Virginia requires more bridges, the construction of which costs more than the building of roadways on flat land, Unger said.
Since its inception, the group West Virginians for Better Transportation has used statistical information about the state’s bridges to highlight the need for more roadway funding. According to information on its Web site, 37 percent of bridges in the state are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and nearly half will require significant repairs by the year 2026.
When infrastructure fails for whatever reason, causing a loss of life, the vitality and connectivity it gives people is emphasized, as well as the need for investments that will keep it modern and safe, said Joe Deneault, chairman of the organization.
“It’s necessary for us to let our lawmakers know how important we think transportation is,” he said. “We want to see them keep it in a condition where we feel safe.”