Four of the six bridges that span the Ohio River between Huntington and Ironton were deemed "not deficient" in their most recent inspections, according to the National Bridge Inventory database for 2006 and state transportation officials. The Ironton-Russell Bridge, built in 1922, was categorized as "structurally deficient," meaning it is deteriorating. Ashland's Ben Williamson Bridge, built in 1930, was categorized as "functionally obsolete," meaning it is structurally sound but no longer meets transportation standards and demands.
Nearly 13 percent of all the nation's bridges have been deemed structurally deficient, while another 13 percent are categorized as functionally obsolete.
A bridge deemed structurally deficient does not necessarily mean it is unfit for traffic, but there are a number of concerns with the Ironton-Russell Bridge, said Mike Loeffler, a bridge inspector for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
In 2000, ODOT recommended that the bridge be replaced. It has since undergone several emergency modifications so that it can be used in cold weather, Loeffler said.
"The bridge was only closed twice last year for a short duration, but it has a lot of structural issues," he said. "We inspect the bridge annually and if it is shut down for cold weather it will be reinspected. Thus, it may be reinspected three or four times a year."
In 2006, plans to replace the Ironton-Russell bridge were rejected as the contracting bids for the original design came in too high, Loeffler said. The state is once again in the preliminary stages of the replacement process. Consultants are studying how to redesign the replacement, he said.
The bridge received a sufficiency rating of 7.2 on a scale of 0 to 100, according to the National Bridge Inventory Database.
Now if only West Virginia's bridges were in Iraq, there would be plenty of funding to rebuild or repair them.
