The Michigan Department of Transportation is trying to ensure the state’s bridges remain safe for drivers as it says more than 100 of them may have to close in the next years without additional state and federal funding.
Rebecca Curtis is the Chief Bridge Engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation and told us more.
“That is what the inspection system is for,” Curtis said. “And so the bridges are at risk of being closed, and if there was a risk of collapse, the bridge would be removed. So the inspection system is going to inspect a bridge more frequently, the worst condition it is in, so that we can identify and catch the condition before public safety would be at risk.”
Curtis says two thirds of MDOT’s bridges have already far exceeded their projected life span, with many of them more than 50 years old. If those bridges were to close, Curtis says that would impact one 1.8 million Michigan drivers.
