Bridge safety top priority in Illinois
Ever since the stunning and tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, there has been a tremendous amount of public interest in the safety of our bridge network here in Illinois.
This is entirely understandable and justified.
As the acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, I want the public to rest assured that bridge safety has been a top priority for Gov. Blagojevich and this agency since long before the Minnesota bridge collapse.
According to national rankings maintained by the Federal Highway Administration, Illinois has the fifth safest system of bridges in the nation.
We have worked diligently to achieve this distinction and are committed to doing everything in our power to maintain it.
If our structural engineers have doubts about the safety of a bridge, they will close it or limit the weight of trucks allowed to use it.
Our bridge inspectors are trained to be tough graders and to not take chances with the safety of the public.
Since the collapse of the Minnesota bridge that was under construction, IDOT, at the direction of Gov. Blagojevich, has taken proactive steps to ensure the safety our bridges.
On Aug. 2, the governor directed IDOT to immediately conduct inspections of the handful of bridges of similar design, bridges under construction and long spans over major waterways.
On Aug. 9, IDOT announced enhanced inspection procedures for bridges that are about to undergo rehabilitation.
These additional inspections are intended to ensure that the structure can safely carry traffic while they are under construction.
For the long term, we have made an effort to focus more of our resources on upgrading the condition of our bridges.
However, as Gov. Blagojevich and IDOT have consistently maintained in recent years, our current funding stream is not adequate to meet all of our needs.
Illinois needs a new bonded capital investment plan in order to keep up with the demands of maintaining and improving our bridge and road system.
Milton R. Sees, P.E.
Acting Secretary
Illinois Department of Transportation
Springfield