Illinois: Good Bridge Bad Bridge

Illinois' Bridges Are in Good Shape

Since a Minnesota bridge collapsed last month, killing more than a dozen people, the nation has been focused on the safety of our bridges. According to a new AP report, nearly 10 percent of Illinois’ bridges have a structural sufficiency rating of below 50 percent. That means those bridges qualify for federal funding for repairs. But Mike Claffey from Illinois’ Department of Transportation says that doesn’t mean they’re on the verge of collapse.

CLAFFEY: People in Illinois should rest assured that we have a very vigorous bridge inspection program. When we are concerned about the safety of a bridge, we’ll close it or put weight limits on it.

Claffey says Illinois is actually the fifth best state in the nation, in terms of bridge safety. And that Illinois has allotted more than 20 percent of its transportation budget over the next six years to improving its bridges.
http://chicagopublicradio.org/CityRoom_Story.aspx?storyID=13080

Local bridges on list of worst in state
2006 data: 9 local spans had ratings worse than the one that collapsed in Minnesota

September 2, 2007
BY ANDRE SALLES Staff Writer
More than 1,500 Illinois bridges, including nine in areas covered by The Beacon News, carried worse structural sufficiency ratings than the Minneapolis span that collapsed last month and killed 13 people, according to an Associated Press review of records.

Those U.S. Department of Transportation records were compiled in December 2006, although they may reflect earlier data, depending on the date of the most recent inspection. And locally, the report was found to be out of date in a few places, missing two bridges that have been completely restored since the ratings were issued.

The vast majority of Illinois' 26,000 bridges are deemed safe. Fewer that 10 percent are rated "structurally deficient" by inspectors, and nearly 890 of the 2,400 bridges in the deficient category simply need attention and some rehabilitation work, not replacement.

There are seven bridges total in Kane County and three in Kendall County that scored below a 50 (out of 100) in a federal structural sufficiency rating. DuPage County has 14, but only one is in the area. Will County has 30 on the list, but none locally.

Those ratings are compiled from tests on a number of components of each bridge, some having little to do with structural stability.

A 9-point scale is used to rate the condition of the deck, superstructure and substructure. That data is then folded into the larger sufficiency rating, which the government uses to identify not only bridges with structural problems, but also obsolete designs that don't meet modern traffic demands.

A low rating doesn't mean a collapse is imminent, but it does mean that inspectors see potential problems, which triggers a complicated process of determining how urgently the bridge needs repairs. The worst-rated bridges are mostly little-traveled spans in smaller counties in central and southern Illinois, which usually carry little truck traffic.

The rating also determines a bridge's eligibility for federal repair funds. When a bridge dips below 80, it can receive federal money for repairs, and when it drops below 50, it is eligible for federal grants to replace it completely.

Chris Lirot, road and bridge coordinator for the city of Aurora, said the sufficiency rating is a guideline, but not a good way of determining which bridge is the worst in a certain area. He said his department uses the number to gauge when federal funds will be available, but his crews examine each bridge every two years and make their own determinations on which ones should be repaired first.

There are four Aurora bridges in the report with scores less than 50. One of them, the EJ&E railroad bridge on New York Street, was rebuilt in 2005 as part of a reconstruction project, and the government records simply haven't caught up yet, Lirot said.

Another, the Wood Street Bridge over Indian Creek, has been closed since 2003, awaiting repairs. The $4 million project is being engineered, Lirot said, and 80 percent of it will be paid for with federal funds. The bridge, built in 1925, carries a sufficiency rating of 20.

A third Aurora bridge, on Downer Place spanning the Fox River, is scheduled for reconstruction in 2010. That bridge was built in 1924 and carries a rating of 40.9.

It's the fourth Aurora bridge that illustrates the point. Sheffer Road runs over Indian Creek west of Farnsworth Avenue, and that bridge is rated 34.7. But that bridge is not on the city's radar for repairs until 2010 or so, Lirot said, because his department's hands-on inspections have shown it's not one of the worst in the city.

The reason for the low rating? Lirot said the bridge is narrow, and there are concerns about water flow underneath it. Design standards are included in the rating so they can be added as stipulations to federal grants -- if you get money to fix a certain bridge, you have to make it wider, for example.

Fran Klaas, engineer for Kendall County, said a bridge's sufficiency rating is a good initial guideline to gauge a problem.

"Every bridge is different," he said, "but if it's below 50, it's in pretty rough shape. In my opinion, 50 is a little low for federal funding. You definitely want to look at a bridge before it gets below 50."

Kendall County only has one such bridge on the list under its control, crossing Little Rock Creek at Galena Road, and Klaas said it was replaced last year. The county also has plans to help Yorkville reconstruct its recently annexed bridge over Blackberry Creek at River Road in the next few years. That bridge, formerly owned by Bristol Township, has a rating of 49.4.

"We're out there every other year," he said of his inspection teams. "Agencies are looking at bridges long before they get to 50."

However, in one case -- the state-owned Route 25 bridge over Waubansee Creek near Oswego -- the sufficiency rating has dropped to 2. Mike Claffey, of the Illinois Department of Transportation, said it is scheduled for reconstruction by the end of next summer, at a projected cost of $1.5 million.

The bridge remains open, according to Claffey, and no weight-limit restriction has been placed on it. Bridges with higher sufficiency ratings, such as the Route 25 bridge over Norton Creek in St. Charles, have limits on them. However, Claffey said there are steel beams in place as a temporary measure, allowing them to keep the bridge open.

"That means we are confident that the structure can handle the traffic requirements," he said.

State officials said they understand the concerns these low ratings may instill in people, but emphasized that they do prioritize, and they are doing all they can to repair the poorest bridges first while keeping an eye on others. And Claffey pointed out that the state still has not passed a capital budget, which would facilitate widespread repairs on troubled bridges.

"We can't just live with 93 percent or 82 percent or whatever," said Ralph Anderson, engineer of bridges and structures for IDOT. "We want 100 percent of our bridges to be safe. We're managing as well as we can within our means."

Claffey emphasized that safety is of the utmost concern at IDOT, and they do not hesitate to close bridges or impose weight limits if the structural stability concerns them.

"We don't want to take chances with people's lives," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/539091,2_1_AU02_BRIDGES_S1.article