Spring is nearly here and that means not only road construction but also bridge inspections, beginning in southeast Minnesota and expanding north as weather improves. MN-DOT’s Mike Dougherty in Rochester says some bridges are inspected annually, while others are on a longer schedule. He says it’s “based on the type of materials that they are, their age, any things that have been detected in a previous inspection. If they do see some things that they want to monitor and see how it develops over the course of a year, they may be back sooner. Dougherty says in his part of the state, Mississippi River bridges are typically inspected every year.
Dougherty says among the tools are “snooper trucks” with long, multi-jointed arms so crews can inspect the underside of bridges. “They’re parked up on a bridge deck, and so we really ask folks to slow down and just be cautious going by there, because crashing into a snooper truck [can hurt people] — those folks are out there above a river looking at a bridge.”
Drivers should watch for lane closures, slow down in work zones, and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.