Donna Newman, director of engineering for Columbus told reporters this week that the city's bridges and similar structures are generally sound:
"For the most part, most of them are in good shape," Newman said on Thursday:
"Seven years ago, one of the lowest rated bridges in Georgia was in downtown Columbus. The 14th Street bridge, which was closed to vehicles in 2000 after the opening of the 13th Street bridge, scored a 2 out of a 100 in its final inspection. The bridge had structural issues as well as a heavy traffic load. It has since been converted into a pedestrian bridge."Local officials reassure the public, saying that "structurally deficient" did not mean the bridge was unsafe for use, but only that repairs were needed. They add, though, that funds to fully carry out repairs are lacking.
Federal Highway Administration statistics from '06 rated eight percent of the state's bridges as "structurally deficient, below the 12% national average.
More on the state of Georgia's bridges is here.
