| By Bob Weaver
Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox yesterday ordered an immediate review and inspection of 18 bridges similar to the I-35W bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis.
Two regional bridges are on the list - Heartland Bridge, Clay County, State Route 16 and Burning Springs Bridge, Wirt County, County Route 35/9.
The Herald has previously published lists of regional bridges that are in disrepair, although the state has not officially declared them unsafe.
The replacement of two bridges on US 33-119, the Corder Bridge at the Calhoun-Roane line and the Ruby Bradley Bridge leading into Spencer, earlier scheduled for replacement, are now future projects.
Forty-years-ago in 1967 the Silver Bridge tumbled into the Ohio River, taking the lives of 46 people.
The bridge was worn by years of corrosion and neglect, a crucial joint in the 40-year-old Silver Bridge's suspension system snapped with the vibrations of rush-hour traffic.
The state estimates it would take $2 billion to upgrade or replace Mountain State bridges.
Bridge problems have been legally overlooked in southern West Virginia when the legislature allowed overweight coal trucks to cross them, changing the weight restrictions for their benefit.
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