Investigative Reporters and Editors has compiled some great resources to help you in the follow-ups to the bridge collapse story.
Click
here for a collection of databases and summaries of stories that
TV stations and newspapers nationwide have done over the years on the
issue of bridge safety.
Forty years ago, the federal government developed bridge inspection standards that went beyond visual inspections. A key question then was, "How do
inspectors probe the infrastructure of a bridge without tearing it apart?"
There is good reason to go beyond visual inspections. Look at this U.S. Department of Transportation study from
2001 in which researchers examined and rated some test bridges. The study found that their inspections
ranged all over the map.
Sixty percent of the inspectors tested did not correctly
identify cracks in the test bridges. The inspectors who did correctly identify them used
flashlights. Those who didn't correctly identify them didn't use flashlights. The inspectors who found the cracks got within a few inches of the problem. Those who missed it were
standing close to 9 feet away. The point is this: As you look at
inspection records, you have to ask a lot more questions about how the
inspection was performed.
The newer way to look at bridge superstructure and
decks is by using ground-penetrating
radar (GPR) systems for detecting and imaging subsurface defects in
concrete bridge decks. Several prototype systems have been developed under a
project known as the High-Speed Electromagnetic Roadway Measurement and
Evaluation System (HERMES).
Click
here to learn more about this program and see photographs.
The goal of the project is to develop a GPR system
that can image deterioration in concrete bridge decks accurately while
traveling at highway speeds. Imaging is conducted by an array of GPR antennas
that operate in a synchronized manner, such that detailed images can be
produced from GPR data. More on GPR
here.
Dig deeper with these articles and research papers:
- Two-part series of articles in
Public Roads Magazine:
KSTP-TV recorded what happens inside a newsroom when a
story like the bridge collapse unfolds. Take a look at this video, which is just natural sound without narration.
Here
are some of the stories in the IRE collection:
Indiana bridges
failing in comparison to Illinois bridges:
The (Northwest Ind.,) Times analyzed federal inspection records for 771 elevated road bridges in Lake and Porter counties. They found "that as of 2003, 27 percent were either structurally deficient or unable to accommodate rising traffic loads ... "
Review finds hundreds
of deficient bridges in Utah:Lee Davidson of The (Salt Lake City) Deseret Morning News used federal data to review deficient bridges in Utah. "Federal data, based on state inspections, show that 256 bridges in Utah were considered structurally deficient in 2004. Another 250 were functionally obsolete."
Bad bridges plague
Oklahoma:Steve Lackmeyer and John Perry of The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman used state and federal data to find that "fixing Oklahoma's bridges — the nation's worst — would cost taxpayers billions of dollars. All proposed remedies fall woefully short."
Unsafe bridges put
public safety at risk: Dani
Dodge of the Ventura (Camarillo, Calif.,) County Star used Federal Highway Administration data to
show that "twenty-eight of Ventura
County's 485 bridges are
considered 'structurally deficient' ... Bringing just 15 of those bridges up to
standard would cost $50 million."
Ohio's railroad bridges
in especially poor condition:Rich
Exner of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer analyzed Ohio inspection records to find that "nearly 3,000
bridges in Ohio
are deficient — rated in poor condition or worse. ...
Trucks involved in
nearly half of fatal crashes on Iowa road: Kurt
Rogahn of The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette used data from the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System and the National Bridge Inventory to find that "nearly
half the fatal accidents on I-80 in Iowa from 1994 through 2001 involved
semi-trailer trucks," ...
Dangerous bridge
connects Cincinnati, N. Kentucky:The
(Cincinnati) Enquirer's James Pilcher, in a project with Tom McKee of
WCPO-Cincinnati, finds that the Brent Spence Bridge,
"the major commuter route between downtown Cincinnati
and Northern Kentucky," is one of the
most dangerous bridges in the country. ...
Nearly a third of nation's bridges deficient: Jonathan
D. Salant of the Associated Press analyzed federal transportation data to find
that 28 percent of highway bridges are considered deficient by federal
standards. "The number of bridges considered deficient — they need
repairs, cannot adequately handle traffic loads ... "
Multimedia Literacy Project Decodes the 'Code'
The findings of this
"Children of the Code" project just break my heart. For a quick taste,
click here and roll over the videos. This segment is about the shame of
not knowing how to read. Listen to the
voices of children, adults and parents.
While
the "Children of the Code" Web site is way over the top in terms of graphics, it is worth the effort to
wander through it. There you will find more than a dozen videos and hundreds of links to
experts, studies and interviews. I can envision this package being a launchpad for a
year-long project by a TV station, radio station or newspaper.
The "Children of the Code" project includes four primary components:
- A 10-hour professional development, college and university DVD series.
- A three-hour Web, public television and DVD documentary series.
- A cross-indexed database/Web site that contains video, audio and transcripts with leading experts on reading.
- A series of teacher
and parent seminars and presentations.
If you want more data on literacy, try this site from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Thanks to Al's Morning Meeting reader Mary A. Durlak, promotional writer/editor of college relations at
Buffalo State College, for pointing me to this project. As Durlak points out, literacy is key to the survival of journalism.
Al's Morning
Multimedia: The Future of Social NetworkingSpend seven minutes on this
mind-boggling presentation. Trust me on this.
The presentation, which was given at the
Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference,
is about software that, within a couple of years, could sew together
photos contributed to a social network, such as Flickr, to create a
panoramic or 3D view of that object.
It is amazing stuff. Once you have watched
the video,
go here to learn more.
Copper Thefts Still High
I keep thinking that this crime
will slow down, but it does not seem to. I was in New Orleans a couple
of weeks ago teaching at the Public Radio News Director's Convention.
The police reports section of the July 21 edition of The Times-Picayune lists 10 copper wiring and pipe thefts — 10 in one day.
Catalytic Converters Popular Among ThievesI was teaching in Shelby, N.C., last week where The Star said thieves are having a field day stealing catalytic converters from cars.
It is a national problem. I
am seeing stories in Michigan,
Minnesota, California
and Ohio.
The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune explains:
The
antipollution devices attached to the underside of vehicles contain
small amounts of platinum, rhodium and palladium. The value of these
precious metals has risen sharply, making catalytic converters hot
property.
Scrap-metal yards, authorities said, pay $30 to $150 for catalytic converters.
To see past Al's Morning Meeting coverage on this ongoing issue,
click here.
Investigation of Stevens Deepens
The federal investigation of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, just intensified. The Anchorage Daily News says the probe grew when investigators started looking at "budget earmarks" that Stevens backed.
You
really can't understand how big the Ted Stevens investigation is to
Alaska until you have been there. Everything is Ted Stevens from the
moment you arrive at the Ted Stevens airport in Anchorage.
He has been the Alaskan sugar daddy for decades.
But
now there are allegations that an Alaskan energy services company
oversaw remodeling at Stevens' home in
Girdwood, Alaska. I have been to Girdwood. It has the feel of a former hippie-like little town 40 miles
from Anchorage that is blossoming into quite the ski-resort town.
The Washington Post describes Stevens this way:
Stevens,
83, who joined the Senate in 1968, has been considered one of the most
powerful members of Congress for more than a decade, including six
years in which he held wide sway over nearly $1 trillion in federal
spending as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He is now
the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, which has oversight of
fisheries and other industries critical to his home state.
The Anchorage Daily News provides a good amount of coverage on the situation.
KTUU in Anchorage has created a useful time line of the probe.
KTVA Anchorage says FBI agents were strangely interested in some wine bottles they found in Stevens' home.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's
Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story
excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as
original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly
from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided
whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the
accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and
inaccuracies found will be corrected.
I'm trying to find official documentation that shows not just...
