Transcript
Andrew MacBeath: “If you’re driving to work or traveling, you are likely to drive over or under a bridge. They are an essential part of infrastructure across the country, especially here in New York.”
Andrew MacBeath: “According to the New York State Department of Transportation, there are over 17 thousand and fifty bridges across the entire state. The majority of these are owned by the state, the rest by businesses and municipalities.”
Charlie Kincaid: “It’s in pretty good condition…”
MacBeath: Vice President of JMT Engineering Charlie Kincaid states that inspections are thorough and every aspect is meticulously reviewed.
Kincaid: “The primary concern obviously is that the bridge is structurally sound, that’s what we’re looking for.”
MacBeath: “Companies like JMT inspect the bridges for flaws, rating them on a scale of one to five. JMT then gives their findings to the bridge owner, who schedules maintenance for the bridge if necessary.”
MacBeath: “Water is the greatest enemy of metal and infrastructure, and that was made frighteningly apparent at the collapse of the Schoharie Creek Bridge.”
MacBeath: “On April fifth, 1987, the Schoharie Creek Bridge on the New York State Thruway collapsed after a record rainfall, killing ten people. The cause of this bridge was primarily due to bridge scour, a condition where water washes away the sediment underneath the supports, causing it to collapse.”
Bill Storm: “We were still driving along, and we got to Massachusetts, and we heard about a bridge collapsing. And we couldn’t believe it, it was the bridge we had just gone over.”
MacBeath: “Bill Storm and his wife crossed the bridge shortly before it collapsed.”
Storm: “We felt lucky, at the same time horrified for the people that, if they had only left early.”
MacBeath: “Only a couple hundred yards behind me is the current Schoharie Creek Bridge. And though it is fully safe to drive across today, and there have been no problems since then, it serves as a grim reminder for those who drove across it the day it fell, and the disaster heavily impacted bridge inspection regulations for years to come.”
MacBeath: “In 1988, only a year after the tragedy, the New York State Department of Transportation implemented the program where every bridge is inspected every two years, a big improvement over the previous regulations.”
Kincaid: “We didn’t have a bridge inspection program before the 19-70’s, they just built a bridge and they expected that it would be good.”
MacBeath: Kincaid says the system today is efficient and reliable.
Kincaid: “We help prepare and ensure that the infrastructure is safe for the traveling public, and I think that is something to take pride in.”
MacBeath: “Next time you go over a bridge on the thruway or I-81, you can be confident that it is in working order and you are safe to drive across, because N-C-C knows, and you know too.”
Andrew MacBeath: “If you’re driving to work or traveling, you are likely to drive over or under a bridge. They are an essential part of infrastructure across the country, especially here in New York.”
Andrew MacBeath: “According to the New York State Department of Transportation, there are over 17 thousand and fifty bridges across the entire state. The majority of these are owned by the state, the rest by businesses and municipalities.”
Charlie Kincaid: “It’s in pretty good condition…”
MacBeath: Vice President of JMT Engineering Charlie Kincaid states that inspections are thorough and every aspect is meticulously reviewed.
Kincaid: “The primary concern obviously is that the bridge is structurally sound, that’s what we’re looking for.”
MacBeath: “Companies like JMT inspect the bridges for flaws, rating them on a scale of one to five. JMT then gives their findings to the bridge owner, who schedules maintenance for the bridge if necessary.”
MacBeath: “Water is the greatest enemy of metal and infrastructure, and that was made frighteningly apparent at the collapse of the Schoharie Creek Bridge.”
MacBeath: “On April fifth, 1987, the Schoharie Creek Bridge on the New York State Thruway collapsed after a record rainfall, killing ten people. The cause of this bridge was primarily due to bridge scour, a condition where water washes away the sediment underneath the supports, causing it to collapse.”
Bill Storm: “We were still driving along, and we got to Massachusetts, and we heard about a bridge collapsing. And we couldn’t believe it, it was the bridge we had just gone over.”
MacBeath: “Bill Storm and his wife crossed the bridge shortly before it collapsed.”
Storm: “We felt lucky, at the same time horrified for the people that, if they had only left early.”
MacBeath: “Only a couple hundred yards behind me is the current Schoharie Creek Bridge. And though it is fully safe to drive across today, and there have been no problems since then, it serves as a grim reminder for those who drove across it the day it fell, and the disaster heavily impacted bridge inspection regulations for years to come.”
MacBeath: “In 1988, only a year after the tragedy, the New York State Department of Transportation implemented the program where every bridge is inspected every two years, a big improvement over the previous regulations.”
Kincaid: “We didn’t have a bridge inspection program before the 19-70’s, they just built a bridge and they expected that it would be good.”
MacBeath: Kincaid says the system today is efficient and reliable.
Kincaid: “We help prepare and ensure that the infrastructure is safe for the traveling public, and I think that is something to take pride in.”
MacBeath: “Next time you go over a bridge on the thruway or I-81, you can be confident that it is in working order and you are safe to drive across, because N-C-C knows, and you know too.”