Detailed inspections of the closed Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart, Fla., have revealed severe corrosion and ruptured steel reinforcing tendons in the southernmost portion of the 23-year old bridge’s southbound span. The Florida Dept. of Transportation reports that it is working on installing temporary supports beneath the affected section “out of an abundance of caution.”
A biannual inspection of the 4,566-ft-long segmental box girder bridge reveled cracks in that portion of the 62-ft-wide southbound span on June 16, according to FDOT. Overnight reports of fallen concrete from the underside of the span led FDOT to shift all traffic onto the twin northbound span. After cracks were discovered in that structure as well, FDOT closed the entire bridge and an underlying highway and initiated a full structural safety analysis.