Aug 28, 2008 1:07 pm US/Eastern
Md. Lawmaker Asks For Independent Bridge Review
BALTIMORE (AP) ―
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Sen. E.J. Pipkin is asking state officials to commission an independent safety examination of the Bay Bridge.
WJZ
An Eastern Shore lawmaker is asking state officials to commission an independent safety examination of the Bay Bridge.
Republican Sen. E.J. Pipkin said his "confidence in the bridge safety inspection process has been shaken."
In his letter to the Maryland Transportation Authority, Pipkin said corrosion in the steel inside the bridge's concrete barrier wall would not have been found had it not been for the special electronic inspection that began after a fatal crash Aug. 10.
The crash killed a tractor trailer driver when his rig broke through a barrier and plunged into the bay. Geoffrey Kolberg, the authority's chief engineer, said Tuesday that the corrosion would not have been detected through the usual visual inspections of the bridge conducted annually.
Transportation officials on Tuesday closed one lane of the eastbound span for an estimated 10 weeks for emergency repairs. The authority did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment on Pipkin's remarks.
Pipken also called for reopening a study into possible expansion of the state's bay crossing capacity.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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