Updated at 1:39 p.m., Thursday, August 2, 2007
Hawaii not affected by federal order to inspect bridges
By JENNIFER C. KERR
Associated Press
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters signed off on an advisory that was sent by the Federal Highway Administration urging state transportation departments to conduct inspections of bridges similar to the steel-deck truss bridge that collapsed Wednesday.
State transportation officials said Hawai'i does not have bridges that would fall under the alert, however. The design of the Minnesota bridge has not been used on Hawai'i bridges, they said.
The bridge that collapsed during rush hour Wednesday evening was built in 1967, rose 64 feet above the river and stretched 1,900 feet across the water. It was built with a single 458-foot-long steel arch to avoid the need for piers that might interfere with river navigation.
