I know there is still some concern about the condition of bridges after the failure in Minnesota. I posted earlier that Texas bridges were considered safe but I also noted that we as a region are not budgeting enough money to address expected future rehabilitation.

State Senator John Carona represents about half of District 1. He gives us an update on the bridge situation:

 

Earlier this month we were all saddened by the tragic events in Minneapolis involving the collapse of a portion of the Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River. As a result of inquiries by me and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has released data on deficient bridges within our own state. The data, while alarming at first due to the number of deficient bridges, shows that Texas is aware of the condition of its bridges and is working hard to make certain that a tragedy of the magnitude experienced in Minnesota will never happen within our borders.

 

Statewide, there are over 2,000 bridges that are in need of some form of maintenance or repair. Dallas County is home to over 30 of these bridges. You may have seen the recent coverage by the Dallas Morning News of deficient bridges in our region. The Dallas Morning News was utilizing the most recent data available to them at the time of publication, which was from February of 2007. In the short span of time between February and today, I am pleased to report that TxDOT has been working diligently and has replaced or repaired nearly a dozen of the bridges listed in the Dallas Morning News database.

 

I and my colleagues in the Legislature plan to continue working with TxDOT to ensure that they have adequate funding to keep our Texas bridges and roads maintained and Texans safe. For more information on Texas bridges, click here.

 

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