All Clear on the Southern Front

Snake River Bridge “Safe”

By Gil Brady, 8-10-07

State transportation authorities have certified the safety of the Snake River Bridge. The bridge was one of two examined by Wyoming's Department of Transportation inspectors with a similar design to the deadly highway bridge that collapsed last week in Minneapolis, Minn.

Five weeks before the catastrophic bridge disaster in Minneapolis, WDOT announced its plan to replace the heavily traveled bridge in Teton County spanning the Snake River at Hoback Junction.

Built during the Eisenhower administration, the steel and wood arch bridge at the junction of U.S. Hwy 191 and 26 had been rated in the same poor condition as the I-35W bridge that collapsed in Minnesota, killing at least 8 people as of today, according to the Associated Press.

Commuters from Alpine and towns south of Jackson in Lincoln County pass over the Snake River Bridge daily, which serves as a vital link to both counties.

Recently, the state lowered the speed limit on the bridge from 40 to 25 mph. WYDOT told the Jackson Hole News & Guide last September that the bridge was still safe.

Over 250 other bridges throughout Wyoming reportedly carry the same federal deficiency rating as the one that collapsed in Minnesota, but WYDOT has said the designation is not an accurate indicator of safety.

For more on this story, click here and read on via the Casper Star-Tribune

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