ICW bridge called 'safe'

Safe enough STAFF PHOTO BY PHIL REYNOLDS The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has declared the Dale Miller Bridge, which crosses the Intracoastal Waterway between Port Aransas and Aransas Pass, safe. City Manager Michael Kovacs asked about the bridge after hearing questions from Port Aransas residents. A TxDOT spokesperson said the bridge was inspected as recently as last summer.

The State Hwy. 361 bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Aransas Pass is safe, according to the Texas Deparrtment of Transportation (TxDOT).

After some Port Aransas residents questioned the safety of the bridge, known as the Dale Miller Bridge, City Manager Michael Kovacs e-mailed the TxDOT district office in Corpus Christi, inquiring about its structural integrity.

TxDOT spokesperson Frances Garza responded that while the bridge has what's called a low "sufficiency rating," that doesn't mean it's not safe to drive on.

A sufficiency rating takes into account such factors as the bridge's width and steepness, the shoulders of the roadway and the volume of traffic, Garza said. "These do not contribute to a bridge being structurally deficient," she said.

She said the bridge had been inspected by engineers as recently as last summer.

"We understand the people's concern, but the bridge is safe to travel on," Garza said.

Kovacs said inquiries about the bridge came after the disastrous collapse last week of a busy bridge across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis St. Paul. The Minnesota bridge failure, which happened during rush hour, killed at least five people; eight others are still missing, searchers said.