The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "bridge inspection" ...
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Bridge Tracker
After 13 people died in August 2007 when a freeway bridge fell into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, governors across the nation rushed to calm fears. Using almost identical language, states assured the public that bridges are safe, because federal regulations require inspection of "every bridge at least once every two years." In fact, at lest 17,000 bridges in the U.S. went more than two years between safety inspections, according to federal records obtained by msnbc.com. Obtaining new records from the National Bridge Inventory under the Freedom of Information Act, bill Dedman of msnbc.com gave the public a look at inspection records through 2006. The series of articles documented several lapses in state and federal oversight bridge inspections. The interactive staff at msnbc.com created the Bridge Tracker, an interactive map of bridges, allowing readers to look at the inspection information for bridges they cross. The map shows the condition and inspection dates for more than 100,000 bridges with traffic of at least 10,000 vehicles a day.
Tags: bridge inspection; Minneapolis 35W bridge collapse; mapping; Freedom of Information Act; National Bridge Inventory; Department of Transporation
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Troubled Bridges
"There are 107 structurally deficient bridges in the state of Arizona, with inspection reports showing the need for significant repairs."
Tags: bridge; inspection; safety; Arizona; structure; transportation
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A Bridge Too Old
This story exposed the deteriorating condition of New York's Tappan Zee Bridge. The Journal News exposed structural decay, falling safety ratings and the failure of restoration efforts. The state Thruway Authority resisted disclosure of the inspection reports that disclosed these conditions.
Tags: bridges; Tappan Zee Bridge; FOI; New York State Thruway Authority; roads; inspections; highway
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Troubled Bridges
In this Oregonian three-part series, Zaitz and Long take a look at Oregons deteriorating bridges. The bridges are in bad shape because, as some argue, Oregon allows truck weights that far exceed designed capacity. The bridges are cracking, and Zaitz and Long discover it's not up to bridge designers to fix them. Instead, the problem lies in state politics.
Tags: Oregon bridges; bridge inspection
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Bridging the gap
"One out of four bridges in Western Kentucky are deficient and need to be replaced, but state transportation officials say they cannot afford the $1.08 billion price tag."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; bridges; Kentucky; state government; transportation; bridge inspections; bridge inventory database
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A widening gap
"Twenty-five percent of Minnesota's bridges and 28 percent of North Dakota's bridges are older than their designed life span of 50 years... Across the United States, one bridge in nine needs to be replaced." Federal funds are available once a bridge scores a sufficiency rating of less than 50 (out of one hundred.) In the Grand Forks area, aging bridges pose a problem for farmers who can't move new, heavy farm machinery across them to their farms. Another issue is the fact that even though federal funds are available for as much as 80 percent of the cost of a replacement bridge, often poor counties have trouble paying the balance.
Tags: transportation; roads; safety; inspections; North Dakota Department of Transportation; Minnesota; weight limits; Red River Valley; engineers; CAR
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Dangerous passages
In this computer-assisted analysis, Armstrong and Robertson find that "one in seven bridges in Massachusetts is structurally deficient and in need of overhaul." They report on how bridges in Massachusetts need repair, "money to fix them is lacking, and public safety is threatened." The Globe analyzed inspection data for every bridge in Massachusetts.
Tags: bridges; CAR; data; inspections; repairs; deterioration; highways; roads; safety
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Crumbling Classrooms; Renegade Rigs; Inspecting the Inspectors; Where's the School Nurse;Hazard in the Sky; What's Breaking Down Bridges
This collection of stories focuses on issues from investigating the physical conditions of public school's classrooms in Massachusetts to examining dangerous bridges in need of repair.
Tags: TAPE TRANSCRIPTS; public schools; bridges; Massachusetts; semi-trucks; home inspectors
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Tennessee Bridges
WSMV's story found that Department of Transportation employee Mike Klahr, who was supposed to inspect the most dangerous bridges in middle Tennessee, never went near a bridge during an eight-day surveillance. Instead, he ran a private painting business on state time, watered his lawn on state time and often worked as little as one hour a day. A computer-assisted investigation found plenty of work to do on Tennessee bridges. The series also discloses how Tennessee closes its bridge inspection records to the public.
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Tennessee Bridges
Mike Klahr was supposed to inspect the most dangerous bridges in middle Tennessee. But during WSMV-TV's surveillance, this Department of Transportation employee never went near a bridge. Instead, he ran a private painting business on state time, watered his lawn on state time, and often worked as little as one hour a day. One in four bridges is structurally deficient, and 29 bridges are so dangerous that people shouldn't be driving over them - yet they are open to the public.
Tags: TAPE