Bridge Safety Reports Not Being Made Public

By Ashley Coleman First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- If you live in Jacksonville -- the city known as "the River City" -- it's almost impossible to avoid driving across a bridge.

But after this week's bridge disaster in Minnesota, many drivers here on the First Coast are thinking twice before crossing another bridge.

"Anything that's man-made is bound to have some issues and some problems," said Lineal White.

White relies on bridges like the Buckman Bridge to get to and from work every day. He wants to know that the bridge is safe -- but he can't find out that information.

The Florida Department of Transportation will not release the most recent safety inspection reports for any of the bridges in Northeast Florida.

Keith Campbell, the bridge inspection chief for the DOT, said that there are seven bridges in this area that are "structurally deficient." But because of "security concerns," Campbell said the DOT can't reveal which bridges.

The DOT cites a law, passed in 2002, which states "building plans, blueprints, schematic drawings, and diagrams" are off-limits to be released to the public.

But a local lawyer, Tad Delegate, said that the law isn't specific enough.

"They're certainly trying to protect the public," he said. "I have no doubt about that, but I think they're reading this too broadly and they're not limiting themselves to the specific terms of the statute."

He said there is no wording in the law that says inspection reports cannot be made public.

First Coast News has put in a formal request for the seven bridge inspection reports. The DOT says it's working with lawyers to decide whether to release the information.

For now, it seems drivers who rely on the many bridges across the First Coast to get to work every day are being left in the dust.

"I think that's an endangerment in my life if I don't know about something that could possibly cause me to be harmed or hurt or possibly killed," said White.

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