The auditor general for the state of Pennsylvania has urged the department of transport (PennDOT) to improve its bridge inspections by following its own processes.
The audit focussed on the inspection process for bridges that had an overall condition of “poor”. It followed the publication of a report into the collapse of the poor-rated Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The February 2024 report attributed the failure to maintenance and oversight lapses (link opens in new tab).
Auditor General Timothy DeFoor said: “I am here to tell you as an auditor that processes matter. It’s important for our safety and the investment of our tax dollars that all bridge inspection reports are consistent, filed on time and the qualifications of the teams doing the inspections are readily available. By implementing the process improvements identified by our auditors, PennDOT can provide consistent reporting that ensures these bridges can be maintained, repaired and replaced without having a major bridge failure.”
The audit has seven findings, and made 24 recommendations.
Pennsylvania’s bridge inventory is the third largest in the USA. PennDot inspects 25,400 state-owned-bridges, which are on average more than 50 years old.
