Sudbury's Big Fix: Looking for trouble

When the steel in a bridge in Latchford gave way a decade ago, causing a section of the span to collapse, the towns mayor says there were no warning signs.

You presume that everything is being monitored to ensure it is safe, George Lefebvre said.

Bridges are monitored and a visual inspection is required by law every two years.

But the province's auditor general flagged problems with the quality of those bridge inspections in a 2009 report. It noted bridge inspectionstakeon averagetwo to threehours to conduct.

In fact, data from 2012 inspection reports in Sudbury shows 14 bridges were checked in a single day.

David Shelsted, the director of roads for the city of Sudbury, said bridges vary in complexity and it's up to the professional engineers who conduct the inspections to take the time they need.

That's their profession on the line to make sure that they have done this to the intent of the inspection manual and that they are providing good service to the city, he said.

Shelsted said the city is happy with the bridge assessments in 2012 and plans to use the same firm for the next round of mandatory inspections next year.

What about culverts?

Bridge inspections may be mandated by the province, but some critics charge that culverts continue to be a hidden danger.

Gerry Mulhern has spent years examining what is under Ontario roads.

He is the executive director for with the Ontario Concrete Pipe Association and has been pushing for a database that would help the Ministry of Transportation monitor the condition of all culverts, not just those large enough to be classified as a bridge.

This is first and foremost a public safety issue,Mulhern said.

I am convinced that it is a statistical certainty that culverts will continue to fail under MTO highways and municipal highways across Ontario.

The Ministry of Transportation was not able to provide information on the status of the culvert database, but said it now requires more detailed information from highway contractors about the condition of culverts, so it can more effectively fix and replace them.

The ministry provided CBC News with the following statement:

For more on the condition of bridges and culverts in Sudbury, stay tuned to CBC'sMorning North radio program this week for our special coverage calledSudbury's Big Fix.

You can also findan interactive mapon our website.