This summer, I heard from many of you after the terrible bridge tragedy in Minneapolis. I, too, was very concerned about the condition of Maine's bridges, and in particular, our local bridges. At the time, I contacted the Maine Department of Transportation to learn more about the issue, and this week, they sent me the report that Governor Baldacci commissioned reviewing all of our bridge inspections.

The good news is that our bridges are all safe, but the re-inspection process revealed that we need to be much more vigilant about keeping up with repairs. Last week's report issued 25 unanimous recommendations, ranging from improvements to the amount of funding. All in all, the state spends nearly $2 million annually just on the inspection and monitoring process, which is conducted to National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS). Right now, these inspections are conducted by five full-time and two part-time bridge inspectors, each with more than 10 years of experience in the field. Inspectors work with an underwater dive team and use an under-bridge crane to review structural integrity, and all reports are reviewed by a professional engineer.

State inspectors have recommended increasing the inspection cycle to look at everyone of the Maine's 3,700 state, private, and locally-owned bridges at least once every two years.

Another recommendation from the report is to increase enforcement of overweight vehicles on critical and heavy-traffic bridges. I plan to support this initiative and monitor its progress closely with my colleagues on the Transportation Committee.

Unfortunately, the report reveals that the lion's share of what needs to be done will need to come from state funds or an additional bond package, and I anticipate a larger discussion on where the money will come from when the Legislature reconvenes in January. The $113 million transportation bond package voters approved in June is dedicated to infrastructure upgrades for Maine roads and bridges. This enables the state to receive federal matching dollars to maximize the amount of projects the state can undertake, and will contribute somewhat to the investments DOT needs for its long-range plan.

Over the next year, 68 Maine bridges are scheduled for replacement, rehabilitation or preservation work. Current state funding allows Maine to entirely replace up to 14 bridges per year, but the recommendation from the report says we'll need to look at replacing at least between 30 and 40 bridges each year. This will require more than doubling the current investment by spending as much as $130 million per year.

According to recent inspections, nearly 240 bridges will need replacement or major rehabilitation in the next 10 years. Altogether, almost 300 bridges, 288, will need capital investments to avoid being posted or closed, and many of those will also be eligible for federal bridge investment dollars. Although Maine can receive matching funds for many of these projects, federal support has decreased in the past few years and the cost of materials and the rate of needed repairs continue to grow.

Keeping our roads and bridges safe undoubtedly is going to require greater investment by the state. But even though prevention may come with a price tag, I know we'd all rather pay it than see a tragedy. Call me at 892-6591, or e-mail me at RepMarkBryant@yahoo.com.