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Friday, July 24, 2009 8:51 PM CDT
State to post bridge data online
By KURT ERICKSON, JG/T-C Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois may soon be shining a little sunlight on information it has kept under wraps since the terrorist attacks in 2001.
Information about state bridge inspections is expected to be posted on the Internet next month. While complete inspection reports showing the condition of state bridges won’t be available, officials say the information being compiled will offer motorists a snapshot of the status of a bridge.
“We understand the public’s need to know,” said Todd Ahrens, engineer of bridge planning for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The release of the information comes as part of Gov. Pat Quinn’s initiative to offer more information about state business on the Internet. It will be part of a database that includes state employee salaries and contracts.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the state has barred the release of bridge inspection reports on the advice of an anti-terrorism task force.
On June 11, for example, IDOT attorneys rejected a request under the Freedom of Information Act for bridge inspection records of the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the Quad-Cities to Iowa.
Two lanes of the span, which carries 30,000 vehicles a day between Rapids City, Ill. and LeClaire, Iowa, have been closed because of structural concerns. But IDOT won’t release records showing the extent of the problems.
That position stands in contrast to other states, where bridge inspection data has been available on the Internet for years.
About 192 miles to the north of the Quad-Cities, the Interstate 90 bridge over the Mississippi River, connects LaCrosse, Wis., with Minnesota. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Web site contains information about inspections of the structure dating to the 1990s.
Wisconsin’s system requires users to register with the state. Once that is completed, users have access to a list of every bridge under state jurisdiction. Users can click on a file to see an online map that will show whether they are viewing the correct bridge.
Each file also shows inspection reports. For example, the most recent report of the 220-foot Interstate 43 bridge near Green Bay shows inspectors found slight rust and exposed rebar.
Minnesota offers a similar online database. Among the reports are those for the Interstate 35 bridge that collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007.
Exactly what kind of information Illinois will offer is not clear. Officials plan to launch the database within a few weeks.
“We’re very, very close,” said IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias. “We’ve made good progress.”
Contact Kurt Erickson at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 217-789-0865.
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