6 August 2007

CSS RESPONDS TO MISSISSIPPI BRIDGE DISASTER

CSS has issued an alert to its members in local authorities across the UK following the tragic collapse of a road bridge across the Mississippi in the US state of Minnesota.

The truss girder construction of the American bridge is not common in the UK and the great majority of our 55,000 bridges are small span and built in stone or concrete. But CSS, which represents local authority strategic directors responsible for three quarters of the nation’s road network and bridge stock, has warned that no authority can afford to ignore the need for a rigorous maintenance and inspection regime.

Richard Fish is Chairman of the CSS Bridges Group and also chairs the UK Bridges Board, which incorporates all UK bridge owners. He has over 25 years experience in bridge design, maintenance and construction. ”A collapse of this type is a huge shock and CSS joins local authorities across the UK in expressing its sympathy for the victims of this awful collapse and their families,” he said.

"The Minneapolis collapse is a wake-up call to owners across the world that bridges are a vital but vulnerable part of our transportation networks and must be regularly inspected and maintained if they are expected to last their design life under modern traffic loading. While a similar type of failure is highly unlikely in the UK, no bridge owner can afford to be complacent and must ensure that appropriate management regimes are in place and properly financed."

He added: “This emphasises the need to ensure that good practices are in place for bridge inspection and maintenance as well as for wider asset management.”

A message has gone out to all CSS members asking for any who have similar bridges to get in touch with the Bridges Group, which will be monitoring developments from Minneapolis and learning from any issues that come to light

CSS has supported and endorsed a code of practice, published in 2005, which provides a best practice guide for managing bridges. It has also been pressing for a specialist qualification for bridge inspectors.

ends

Media contact  

Barrie Hedges, Daybreak Communications office 0845 644 3845; mobile 07899 923756; barrie.hedges@daybreakcomm.co.uk

Notes to editors

• CSS represents local authority chief officers who manage some of the most pressing issues facing the UK today. Membership is drawn from all four corners of the United Kingdom with members responsible for three-quarters of the road network, two thirds of the land area and just under half of the population of England and Wales. Operating at the strategic tier of local government, they are closely involved in crucial transport, waste management, environment, planning, energy and economic development issues.

• Richard Fish is Director of Planning and Transportation for Cornwall County Council. He chairs the CSS Bridges Group which is part of the Engineering Committee. He also chairs the UK Bridges Board, which incorporates all UK bridge owners. UKBB is a sub-board of the UK Roads Liaison Group. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers.