AND
AND SPORTS DIRECTOR JAMAL SPENCER WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT IS A BRIDGE FAILURE AND
IT'S POSSIBLE. GOVERNOR
GRETCHEN WHITMER 4@MADE THAT
REMARK FIVE MONTHS AGO DURING A
VISIT TO GRAND RAPIDS TONIGHT.
WE ARE LOOKING INTO THE
CONDITION OF OUR STATE'S
BRIDGES. MANY PEOPLE THINK THEY
ARE IN SERIOUS NEED OF REPAIR
BUT IS THAT REALLY THE CASE AND
ARE REPAIRS EVEN FINANCIALLY
POSSIBLE. HERE'S WHAT 13 4@SAIR
MCCREA FOUND OUT TODAY. BRIDGES
ARE REPAIRS EVEN FINANCIALLY POSSIBLE. HERE'S WHAT 13 4@SAIR MCCREA FOUND OUT TODAY. BRIDGES@
ARE BUILT TO LAST 75 TO 100
YEARS BUT THEIR 4@EXPENSIVE TO
BUILD AND EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE.
SO ARE THEY A WORTHWHILE
INVESTMENT? WE 4@ALL KNOW THAT
MICHIGANVOTERS BAD 4@YET. WHAT
ABOUT WEBSITE MICHIGANS
BRIDGES. ARE THEY REALLY IN BAD
SHAPE AND A DANGER TO DRIVER
THIS IS THE 12 MILE BRIDGE OVER
U.S. ONETHIRTY 1 DNR ROCKFORD.
IT'S LISTED IN POOR CONDITION.
AND THIS IS SMITH'S BRIDGE AND
FERRIS BERG 4@4@A CRITICAL BRID
AND ONE OF THE 65 BRIDGES IN
THE STATE THAT IS PERMANENTLY
CLOSED BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO
DANGEROUS TO DRIVE ON. IN
MICHIGAN THERE ARE ELEVEN
THOU4@SAND 4@ONE HUNDRED AND FO
FIVE BRIDGES. THAT NUMBER
INCLUDES 4@BRIDGES MAINTAINED B
DUTCH AND LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES @
NOW STATEWIDE. NINETY FOUR
PERCENT OF MDR BRIDGES 4@ARE IN
GO4@OD OR FAIR CONDITION? AND A
THE LOCAL LEVEL THE NUMBER IS
CLOSER TO FIVE PERCENT. SO HERE
IS HOW THAT'S DETERMINED. EACH
BRIDGE IS LOOKED AT AT LEAST
EVERY TWO 4@YEARS. AND INSPECTO
REVIEW THE THREE MAIN
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS THE BRIDGE
DECK WHICH IS THE RIDING
SURFACE OF THE BRIDGE THE
SUPERSTRUCTURE WHICH SUPPORTS
THE RIDING SURFACE 4@AND FINALL
THE SUBSTRUCTURE WHICH ARE THE
PILLARS 4@OR THE ABUTMENT THAT
YOU SEE WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING
UNDER THE BRIDGE. NOW USING A
NINE POINT RATING SYSTEM EACH
IS RANKED 4@9 IS CONSIDERED TO
THE BEST. FOR EXAMPLE NEW
CONSTRUCTION 4@OR LESS NOW IF A
ONE OF THE THREE MAJOR ELEMENTS
THE BEST. FOR EXAMPLE NEW CONSTRUCTION 4@OR LESS NOW IF A ONE OF THE THREE MAJOR ELEMENTS@
RRATED A FOUR OR LOWER THAN THE
ENTIRE BRIDGE IS 4@TO BE IN POO
CONDITION. OUR MICHIGANS BRIDGE
IS4@ A 10 PERCENT OR PROBLEMATI
BUT BY AND LARGE BRUDE 4@IS A
MICHIGANS. REALLY. OKAY. WE ARE
IN THE 4@RELATIVE TO OUR
NEIGHBORS IN TERMS OF OVERALL
BRIDGE CONDITION LET'S 4@GO BAC
TO THE 12 MILE BRIDGE DNR
ROCKFORD TO SEE HOW THE BRIDGE
RATING SYSTEM WORKS EVERY 24
MONTHS. THE SUPERSTRUCTURE RATE
THE 5 6 GIVING IT A FAIR RATING
BY AARONHOW INTERNAL REDUNDANCY
WITHIN 4@THE BRIDGE SUPPORTS TH
SUBSTRUCTURE ACTUALLY GOT A
GOOD RATING. THEN THERE'S THE
DEBT WHEN WE SOUNDED THE DECK?
WE HAVE STEEL 4@REBAR THAT WE W
THOUAND EVERY SQUARE FOOT WELL @
AND NATS BRIDGE IN PARTICULAR
THERE WAS TWENTY FOUR PERCENT
OF THE BRIDGE DECK WAS BAD EVEN
THOUGH ONLY ONE OF THE THREE
PARTS OF THE BRIDGE WAS RATED
POOR BY M DOT THE ENTIRE BRIDGE
IS CLASSIFIED AS A POOR BRIDGE.
THIS4@ IS US 10 4@WHICH IS 4@WO
MATCH NOW WITH IS THE CHIEF
ENGINEER4@ WITH 4@M DOT. HE SAY
THE STATE'S PLAN TO HIT ZERO
SERIOUS OR POOR CONDITION
BRIDGES IN THE STATE BY TWENTY.
THE STATE'S PLAN TO HIT ZERO SERIOUS OR POOR CONDITION BRIDGES IN THE STATE BY TWENTY.@
WILL COST ONE BILLION DOLLARS.
IT'S NOT NECESSARIL4@Y 4@REALIS
OR NECESSARY TO HAVE ZERO POOR
BRIDGES BECAUSE EVEN IF A
BRIDGE IS POOR WE CAN MANAGE IT
IN THAT CONDITION WE 4@INCREASE
THE INSPECTION FREQUENCY FROM
24 MONTHS TO 12 MONT4@HS SO WE'
SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED A
POPULATION FOR BRIDGES. IT'S
THE SERIOUS AND CRITICAL
BR4@IDGES THAT AFTER WHILE 4@
CRITICAL DECISION HAS TO BE
MADE. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
SINCE THE BEGINNING 4@THIS YEAR
ROUGHLY A CRITICAL BRIDGE HAS
CLOSED EVERY TWO WEEKS. WHICH
BRINGS US TO FERRIES BURKE. IF
WE'RE 4@GONNA PUT THE INVESTMEN
INTO A BRIDGE WE'RE MAKING THE
DECISIONS. SO 4@LASTS 75 TO 100
YEARS BUT 4@THEY CAN'T MAINTAIN
BRIDGE LIKE THAT. IT ULTIMATELY
HAD TO CLOSE 4@IT WILL COST
THIRTEEN MILLION DOLLARS TO
REPLACE THIS BRIDGE. AND THE
STATE HAS TWOWAY. IS IT WORTH
TAXPAYER MONEY. I THINK IT'S A
VERY GOOD QUESTION. A VERY
CRITICAL 4@QUESTION AS TO IS IT
WORTH THE INVESTMENT 15 MILLION
DOLLARS PLUS OR MINUS TO
REPLACE THE BRIDGE.