By Associated Press
Huntsville, AL – Researchers at Alabama A&M University are developing a system that could be used in bridge inspections.
Doctor Mohammed Saafi, director of the school's Center for Transportation Safety and Security, is working on developing a mechanism that would allow underwater inspections with the use of fiber optic lines.
Saafi said the corrosive effects of water currents on soil around pilings and foundations is a key reason for bridge failures.
Federal statistics show about 2,100 of Alabama's nearly 16,000 highway bridges are classified as being structurally deficient. That's the same ranking given to the interstate bridge in Minnesota that collapsed into the Mississippi River.
State Transportation Director Joe McInnes previously said there is no reason for people to be concerned about bridges in Alabama.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)