List of ND Bridge Ratings

Its been two weeks since the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Today, crews pulled two...  More »

Its been two weeks since the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Today, crews pulled two more bodies from the Mississippi River. This makes eleven victims recovered from the scene. With the thoughts of what happened that day still fresh in our minds, do you know if the bridges in your area are safe? Brad Feldman shows us a list you may want to check out. Each day, hundreds of people travel on this bridge over the Missouri River between Bismarck-Mandan for one reason or another. But is the Grant Marsh Bridge one of many on the list of structurally deficient bridges. (Larry Schwartz/ NDDOT) Just because they are structurally deficient doesn't mean they are unsafe. The Grant Marsh Bridge is not one of the Seven Hundred and Fifty One bridges listed by the North dakota Department of transportation as being Structurally deficient. What this means is either the driving surface, piers or beams have a low rating. However, Schwartz says some of ratings are deceiving. (Larry Schwartz/ NDDOT) Theres some bridges that maybe one farmer uses it four times a year to get to a certain field so a lot of those bridges have very little usage. To show you what he means, here is a list of the structurally deficeint bridges in the area. They each have some problems areas, but when you look at where they are only a hand full of them are on the state highway system. (Brad Feldman/ KX News) This bridge just west of Mandan has a history of problems. In the fall of 2005 a small piece of the bridge deck fell out. This spring a two inch diameter piece of concrete fell out the bridge deck as well. Both of these incidents have created some concern at the North Dakota Department of Transportation. (Larry Schwartz/ NDDOT) That was scheduled for replacement so we accelerated because of the hole that developed here a month or so we accelerated the project. Two years before it was to be replaced, crews are starting to build the new Heart River Bridge west of Mandan. If all goes as scheduled, the new bridge will be open to traffic by this winter. Brad Feldman KX News Since the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse so many people inquired about bridge safety that the DOT decided to release a list of Bridge ratings. If you would like to get a copy of the structurally deficient bridges in your area, you can log onto www.dot.nd.gov. Then click on the North Dakota Bridge Information link.  « Less