O'Neal Bridge inspected again

SHOALS - O'Neal Bridge is undergoing another inspection, this time by a team of state Department of Transportation inspectors from Mobile.

Transportation department spokesman Tony Harris said the inspection is part of an independent review process to determine if the findings differ from an inspection that was conducted earlier this month by another group.

The inspection of O'Neal Bridge and two other deck truss bridges in Alabama was prompted by the collapse of the similarly designed Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 1.

"We wanted to initiate this so that we have concurrence in the findings we're reaching on our bridges," Harris said.

Before this month, O'Neal Bridge was last inspected in June 2006. Its next regularly scheduled inspection was set for June 2008.

Inspectors from the local transportation department's division office began their inspection within days of the Minnesota bridge collapse.

That inspection determined there were no major safety issues with O'Neal Bridge.

"It just gives us an independent look at the bridge, with a fresh set of eyes," Harris said.

The inspection began Tuesday and should be completed today.

"So far, they're not finding anything different, and we don't expect them to," Harris said.

He said preliminary results of the earlier unscheduled inspection this month didn't reveal any changes from the 2006 inspection.

While no work is planned, Harris said the age of O'Neal Bridge makes it eligible for federal money for rehabilitation or replacement.

O'Neal Bridge was completed and opened to traffic in 1939, Harris said.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.