State transportation inspectors hope to get their first look at damage to bridges and roads that have been under siege by northwest Missouri floods. Tomorrow will be the 90th day of the Missouri River flood of 20-11. The Corps of Engineers counts the start from May 22nd, when heavy rains fell upstream.
The state transportation department’s Rick Bennett says inspectors hope to get their first preliminary looks at roads and at bridges that have been in the water to one degree or another for weeks.
Bennett says high water will keep inspectors from seeing a lot. But he hopes they can spot any major issues on about 18 bridges in various counties, including three over the main channel. .
Listen to Rick Bennett :21 mp3
Bennett says the current will be a problem.. He says inspectors will have to go in by boat. He says if they can’t get into the area safely because of the current of the floodwater, inspections will be put off until conditions are safe.
He says the water is as much as five feet deep over roads and covers roads and bridge approaches as much as five miles from the main channel. It’s going to be several more weeks before the river is back in its banks and the water in the flooded land drains back into the river, letting inspectors make a comprehensive study.