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Article: Bridge inspections can take hours or days: VDOT checks the safety and structure of most bridges in the state at least once every two years.
- Article from:
- The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, VA)
- Article date:
- August 3, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 The Roanoke Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Greg Esposito
Aug. 3--LAFAYETTE -- The bridge that David Smith stood on Thursday didn't seem too complicated.
Built in 1917, the one-span through-truss structure connects two banks along the Roanoke River about 100 feet apart. It's about 16 feet wide.
But that's more than enough bridge to keep Smith, senior structure/bridge inspector for the Virginia Department of Transportation's Salem district, occupied for hours.
Bridge failures are few and far between, but when they happen, the consequences can be tragic. The toll from Wednesday's bridge collapse in Minneapolis is not yet fully known. But when the eight-lane Interstate 35W ...