BRIDGE SAFETY

Highway bridges are a vital link in the Nation's transportation network. Occasionally, however, a bridge collapses or must be closed for safety reasons, lessening the public's confidence and raising some penetrating questions about the safety of the Nation's bridges. The most recent example of a bridge collapse was the June 1983 failure of the Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut, which caused three deaths and resulted in untold expense, traffic delays, and detours. This sudden, unexpected catastrophic failure, surprising even to the bridge engineering community, was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. This article generally discusses the safety of public highway bridges.

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00393914
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  • Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 739
  • Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
  • Created Date: May 31 1985 12:00AM