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May 14, 2008 10:13 pm US/Central
Pot Holes Plague I-30 in Dallas
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
What's happening to our interstates, highways and roads?
A large hole through an I-30 bridge closed down the interstate Wednesday afternoon in the Downtown Dallas mix-master.
Ten days ago, the same thing happened to another I-30 bridge over Beckley Avenue just west of downtown. When it comes to bridge safety, it's no surprise that many drivers immediately think about the bridge collapse in Minneapolis that killed 13 people last summer.
"What makes us think it's not going to happen here in Dallas? I know a lot of the road work that was done in Dallas was done 30 or 40 years ago. Who's checking on that?" asked motorist Rachel Wallace.
TxDOT says the stretch of I-30 hit with these recent problems is scheduled to be replaced in 2011. In the meantime, renovations on the interstate will begin in August. However, TxDOT says it is meeting with engineers Thursday to see if they can speed up the process.
As for bridge concerns, TxDOT says don't confuse the issue.
"Minneapolis was about a bridge failure. This is about a pot hole," said TxDOT spokesperson Randy Black. "When you're driving down the road and your air conditioner goes out in your car, you keep driving because your car is still running safely. A pot hole in a bridge is a serious matter but it's not the same as a bridge failure."
TxDOT says this latest rash of road problems stems from three things: North Texas' weather, the age of the roads and bridges, (many date back to the 1950s) and the usage. In this case, 200,000 cars travel every day along the stretch of I-30 in question.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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