O'Neal Bridge under additional inspection

Another inspection is under way on O'Neal Bridge as the Alabama Department of Transportation continues a follow-up program to evaluate deck truss bridges in the state.

Transportation department spokesman Tony Harris said Tuesday that a private engineering firm is performing basically the same inspections that were conducted by state bridge inspectors this past summer after the collapse of the westbound Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis, Minn.

"This is just basically more of the same," said transportation department Division Engineer James Brown.

Harris said inspections of O'Neal Bridge and similar deck truss bridges in the state were inspected just days after the bridge collapse in Minnesota.

The first crew to inspect O'Neal Bridge after the Aug. 1 Minnesota collapse was from the transportation department's Second Division in Muscle Shoals. About two weeks later, a second inspection was conducted by one of the department's bridge crews from Mobile.

Harris said that bridge crew had never inspected O'Neal Bridge, which helped give them a different perspective from engineers who had inspected the bridge many times.

Harris said neither inspection turned up any problems out of the ordinary.

"We wanted to be sure we had fresh eyes looking at the bridge," Harris said. "Then we decided to take our inspections a little further."

He said the state decided to hire a consulting engineering firm to conduct inspections of O'Neal Bridge and other deck truss bridges like it as well as certain other bridges across the state.

The new team of engineers employed by the firm will perform inspections similar to those conducted by state crews, but they will also advise the state of any future maintenance needs that might exist, Harris said.

"We feel like we have a good bridge inspection program in Alabama, and we've talked in a very proactive way with our sister southern states and told them what we were doing," Harris said.

He said the transportation department has offered to let its bridge inspectors conduct inspections of the bridges in other states in order to provide "fresh eyes" to review their bridges.

The digital information boards near O'Neal Bridge indicate the inspection would last until Friday.

Traffic will be restricted to one lane during the period of time inspectors are on the bridge, and transportation officials advise motorists to use extreme caution.

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