Arlington, TX

In light of the I-35 bridge collapse in Minnesota, CBS 11’s Robert Riggs did an investigative report on the status of North Texas bridges. Among those on the Federal Highway Administration’s list of structurally deficient bridges are several here in Tarrant County. 

Three of the bridges cross major thoroughfares:

• The west frontage road of Highway 360 over Interstate-30 (here in Arlington)
• The east and westbound lanes of the Highway 183 bridges over Loop 820
• The bridge where the northbound lane of Interstate-35W crosses over Highway 121

Last friday, state inspectors from the Fort Worth District of the Texas Department of Transportation began checking bridges in a nine county area. Their focus was on steel arched bridges similar to the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis. 

The Lancaster Avenue bridge that crosses a branch of the Trinity River east of downtown Fort Worth, which is similar in structure to the Minneapolis bridge, was once listed as structurally deficient, but was rehabilitated nine years ago. 

Keep in mind though, that inspections are not foolproof. Minnesota was ranked as the second best bridge testing state in the nation, yet it was the scene of last week’s deadly collapse. A 2001 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that 60 percent of inspectors did not correctly identify cracks in test bridges.

You can download a complete list of ’structurally deficient’ Tarrant County bridges from the CBS 11 website.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bridge Collapse, Structurally Deficient Bridges, Fort Worth, CBS 11, Robert Riggs