Inspectors check bridges for flood damage

Teams of inspectors are checking bridges across northeast Minnesota for damage caused by last month's flooding.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is coordinating inspection teams to check 180 bridges that were most likely to have been damaged.

MnDOT District 1 Engineer Duane Hill said the inspectors' main concern is ensuring public safety. Finding that a bridge is a hazard to public safety will lead to its immediate closure, he said.

"They're going to be looking for things like erosion that occurred around the bases of the bridges," Hill said. "They're going to be looking for damage from debris that would wash down the streams during the flooding event."

Hill said inspectors are also collecting damage reports that will allow them to qualify for federal reimbursement. All documentation of damage and minor repairs need to be done within 150 days, he said.