Aug 27, 2008 1:31 pm US/Eastern
Bay Bridge Repairs May Take Up To 10 Weeks
Call 1-877-BAYSPAN For More Information
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) ―
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State officials say they have found corrosion on the jersey walls of the Bay Bridge.
WJZ
State officials say they have found corrosion on the jersey walls of the Bay Bridge.
They say after inspecting 20 percent of the bridge they have found a large amount of corrosion not visible during routine inspections.
Mary Bubala reports authorities told him they still believe the bridge is safe, and will not close down the entire eastbound span.
Officials say for the next ten weeks the righthand lane of the eastbound span will be closed to reinforce the concrete barriers.
They started looking at the bridge after a tractor trailer went over the side of the bridge earlier this month.
Police have said the accident occurred when a Camaro sideswiped the truck, which crossed over the opposite lane and struck the jersey wall. The truck's cab rode up on top of the barrier before the trailer struck the wall, causing it to break and rolling the truck off the bridge into the bay.
Truck driver John Short, 57, of Willard, was killed. Marcus Brown, chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, also said investigators are still awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine whether the driver of the Camaro was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
"We're attaching steel plates to the barrier walls. The plates will extend the bridge deck, where they will be secured to the concrete deck with additional bolts. Metal guardrails will also be attached to the guardrails in those places," said John Porcari, chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority.
"In follow-up inspections since the accident, the steel inside some of the [jersey walls] has corroded. We have found voids and corrosion of steel elements," said Geoffrey Kolberg, the chief engineer for the Maryland Transportation Authority.
As for how much corrosion there is, state officials said they hadn't quantified it. Kolberg wouldn't speculate about whether corrosion contributed to the accident, saying that part of the investigation has not been completed.
The engineer said higher barriers were a possibility, but engineers have to consider the additional weight and how it would affect the bridge during a crash.
During the upcoming Labor Day holiday, the speed limit will be 40 mph on the eastbound span and there will be two-way traffic on the westbound span. Officials are urging motorists to go through Delaware if they are traveling to Ocean City. Commuters will still have three westbound lanes during the morning rush. You can call 1-877-BAYSPAN for current bridge conditions.
"Having lane closures and bridge construction work over a holiday weekend is highly unusual and will certainly cause some motorists delays, but we applaud the Secretary and the Maryland Transportation Authority for proceeding with these safety improvements," said Christine Delise for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "Lane closures on the bridge over a holiday weekend creates the potential for major gridlock. Motorists really need to make alternate plans in their travel times and routes, if they can."
For travelers heading to Ocean City from the Baltimore area:
· I-95 North to Route 1
· Take Route 1 South thru Delaware
· Route 1 becomes Route 528 / Coastal Highway
· Take Coastal Highway into Ocean City
More inspections are planned. The project is expected to cost about $3 million.
Stay with
WJZ.COM for the latest on this developing story.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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