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Officials: 6 Central Florida Bridges Rated 'Structurally Deficient'

Florida Bridges Inspected At Least Every 2 Years

Following a fatal bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Florida transportation officials said on Thursday that six Central Florida bridges are in need or repair.

The state has 800 bridges on its roadways in nine Central Florida counties, and only six are rated structurally deficient, Florida Department of Transportation officials said.

"Every bridge is inspected every two years, more frequently if there are any structural issues with it," Steve Homan, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation District 5 office, told Local 6 News partner Florida Today.

Officials said two of the six deficient bridges are located on U.S. Highway 1 in southern Brevard County and are scheduled to be upgraded soon.

Three others are located on U.S. Highway 192 in Brevard County and are set to be repaired in 2009, according to transportation officials.

The other bridge is on state Road 11 in Flagler County. Officials said repair work on that bridge is scheduled following hurricane season.

State law requires that any bridge that receives a structurally deficient rating be replaced within six years, Homan said.

None of the state's bridges are the archway type that collapsed in Minnesota, said Ron Mead, structures and facilities engineer for the district.

Florida's worst bridge collapse happened 27 years ago when 35 people were killed on Tampa Bay's Skyway Bridge in May 1980. The bridge crumbled after being struck by a freighter. A Greyhound bus and seven cars fell 150 feet into the water.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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