Gordon wants to prevent future bridge tragedies

WASHINGTON -- As the U.S. House of Representatives authorized emergency funding Friday to help with reconstruction efforts after last week's bridge collapse in Minneapolis, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon said he wants to ensure the nation's bridges are safeguarded against future collapses.

"This is a tragedy that could have happened anywhere, and it's a wake-up call to keep our infrastructure in top-notch shape," said Gordon. "It's important we learn a lesson from what happened in Minnesota and invest resources wisely to make sure our bridges are structurally sound and able to handle increasing traffic."

According to the 2005 Road Improvement Project survey, 37 of Tennessee's 1,423 interstate highway bridges were considered structurally deficient by inspectors.

As the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, Gordon says his committee is looking to hold a hearing on the Minnesota bridge collapse when Congress reconvenes in September.

The Science and Technology Committee has jurisdiction over surface transportation research and development, which includes innovative building materials and construction methods.

"We want to look at why the collapse happened, how we can prevent these tragedies in the future and how we can test existing bridges to ensure safety," said Gordon.