13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Indiana looks to learn lessons from Minn. bridge collapse

Indiana looks to learn lessons from Minn. bridge collapse

Sandra Chapman/13 Investigates

Over the river, in city after city, thousands of Indiana motorists trust bridges for safe passage. But underneath the steel and concrete slabs, normal wear and tear can hide symptoms more serious.

In Minneapolis, there are early indications of what's known as scour: pieces of support structure for I-35 washed away.

"A tragedy in Minneapolis is going to make everybody sit down and maybe reassess those specific areas where they may have had a question about or maybe weren't as clear cut," said Andy Dietrick, Communications Director at the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Indiana has three similar steel truss bridges like the one in Minneapolis:

The Salt Fork Bridge on State Road 1 North of Lawrenceburg, the Big Pine Creek Bridge on State Road 55 near Attica, and the Wabash River bridge on US Highway 52 in Lafayette.

13 Investigates found Indiana's steel truss bridges have had their own share of problems.

In 2005 inspectors found cracks, and joint failings along the Big Pine Creek Bridge.

At the Salt Fork crossing, inspectors found steel beams cracked, resulting in more than $3 million of repairs.

Along the Wabash at US 52, cracks, large holes, and complete sections lost requiring additional steel and a call for scour countermeasures. Inspectors warned: "This is extremely serious," because the crack positions are at the end of the bottom of the tension cord. The bridge's rating dropped from satisfactory to poor.

The state's chief inspector was not allowed to speak with us on camera, but reports show INDOT has repair plans for all three bridges.

"Even if a bridge didn't meet a low threshold or come to a low threshold, if they saw something wrong with the bridge they would immediately close it down," added Dietrick.

INDOT must also ensure the safety of more complicated bridges like the one at I-70 and Kentucky Avenue over the White River. Pins and joint hangers allow that bridge to expand.

Located just over a mile from downtown, more than 100,000 vehicles cross the White River Bridge each day.

INDOT hires contractors for a more in-depth inspection every five years. That's in addition to a mandatory two-year check up.

In June, inspectors found cracks in the concrete pillars, some corrosion, but overall a satisfactory rating.

"The bridges in Indiana are safe. It's our job to keep them that way and that's why we have 23 well-trained people out there looking at them on a regular basis," said Dietrick.

Complex inspections can costs as much as $100,000. States rely on federal dollars to make the necessary repairs.

INDOT says it will use information gleaned from the I-35 collapse in Minneapolis to ensure more safety here.

Indiana bridges - See statistics on the state's bridges, plus read an extended interview with Andy Dietrick of INDOT.