I-90 bridge’s connector plates are buckling, inspection finds

CLEVELAND (AP) — Two steel plates connecting beams that hold up the Interstate 90 bridge heading into downtown Cleveland have buckled about an inch and others have deteriorated, according to a new state inspection.

Within three weeks, the Ohio Department of Transportation will fix the gusset plates by reinforcing them to eliminate the buckling, said Michael Malloy, the ODOT bridge engineer for Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland.

Even with the buckling, Malloy doubted the bridge poses a danger to the 119,000 drivers who cross it each day.

A draft report of last month’s inspection declared the span in poor condition — 4 on a scale of 0 to 9, with 0 failing. The bridge earned the same score last year.

Investigators have a “working theory” that a poorly designed gusset plate and excessive weight on the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis led to that bridge’s collapse Aug. 1, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Nov. 2. Thirteen people were killed.

Ohio has 2,880 bridges labeled “structurally deficient” — the same designation given to the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. The rating might mean a bridge has excessive potholes, is considered too narrow, or may not have wide enough shoulders to allow an extra lane of traffic if one is closed for repairs.