Hundreds of Georgia bridges aging, deficient | www.myajc.com

The Spring Street Bridge in downtown Atlanta carries thousands of drivers to some of the biggest entertainment events in Georgia. It also has deteriorating concrete, “cracking,” “leaching,” a steel support post “loose and relatively free to move” and a sufficiency rating of three out of 100, according to inspection reports.

Officials assure the public the bridge is “absolutely safe” as it awaits reconstruction within the year, though heavier vehicles are prohibited.

The collapse of the I-5 bridge in Washington state Thursday has brought renewed attention to bridge safety nationwide, just as happened with the fatal 2007 collapse of an I-35 bridge in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Since then, Georgia has made progress in dealing with its neediest bridges, and officials say that no Georgia bridge would be open to traffic if it were unsafe.

But hundreds of Georgia bridges remain structurally deficient, meaning it may be safe to drive but something important is wrong, such as significant load-carrying parts in poor condition.

Out of Georgia’s 14,700 bridges, 878 were listed in 2012 as structurally deficient.

via Hundreds of Georgia bridges aging, deficient | www.myajc.com.