Six county bridges rated 'deficient'

But according to the county's Highway Superintendent, there is only one bridge that would cause any concern.

According to information released Friday by TDOT, locally maintained bridges that cross Mount Moriah Branch, Wilson Creek, Fall Creek, Branch, and Stokes Branch are on the structurally deficient list.

The bridge crossing the Duck River on State Highway 130 South, which is maintained by the state, was also listed as deficient.

The Highway 130 bridge was constructed in 1934, while bridges crossing Mount Moriah Branch, Wilson Creek and Branch were built in 1950. The Fall Creek and Stokes Branch bridges were erected in 1940.

The bridges on the Duck River, Mount Moriah Branch, Wilson Creek and Fall Creek are considered "open" while Stokes Branch and Branch bridges have a weight limit posted.

All six bridges were inspected in 2007, TDOT reported.

Of the 191 bridges maintained by Bedford County, only one causes any concern, said Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman, and that's Stokes Branch on the old Highway 64, one mile outside of Wartrace.

"It's rated 'poor' and has a weight limit of 10 tons," Smotherman said. He added that only one person lives on the road in question.

State bridges are rated "good, fair, poor and critical," Smotherman said, and all of the other county bridges are rated "good and fair" he said.

If a bridge was ever declared "critical," it would likely be shut down, Smotherman said. He added that the state inspects county bridges every two years and that the last round of inspections was done in June and July of 2007.

"Just because they are on the list, doesn't mean they are a hazard," Smotherman said.

TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely detailed the status of Tennessee's 19,519 bridges at a press conference last week, noting that it had been one year since the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River killing 13 and injuring more than 100.

"Tennessee is fortunate to have one of the best transportation systems in the nation, including a first rate bridge program" said Nicely. "We have invested more than $1.7 billion in bridges in the last two decades and will continue that commitment into the future."

Nicely said as of January 31 only 2.4 percent of interstate bridges in Tennessee are deficient, while 4.7 percent of all state owned bridges in the nation are classified as structurally deficient

TDOT say it has dedicated more than $130 million to the replacement and repair of Tennessee's bridges in fiscal year 2007-08 and will dedicate another $116.6 million for bridge repair and replacement in 2008-09.

"Tennesseans can rest assured that we are working hard to keep Tennessee's bridges safe," said TDOT Chief Engineer Paul Degges. "Our bridge inspection program is constantly cited as one of the best in the nation and was one of only three in the U.S. to complete all inspections on time in 2007, but we know there is room for improvement."

Degges said following the Minneapolis collapse, TDOT requested a Peer Review study of its program and TDOT is "in the process of implementing suggestions from that review to further enhance our existing program."