SCOURING FOR
SOLUTIONS
MDOT and Ayres partner to research
bridge inspection technologies
T
he 1987 collapse of the New
York state Thruway bridge over
Schoharie Creek remains a pivotal
point in history, so tragic it’s hard to
comprehend. Difficult even to imagine
what it was like for 10 people who lost
their lives that rainy Sunday morning
when the structure gave out from under
them, plummeting their vehicles into
deep, surging flood waters brought
on by spring thaw and heavy rains in
the Catskill region.
By Tonia Johnson
A year before the collapse, the Thruway
bridge had received a safety inspection
rating of six on a scale of seven. However,
22 | TRENDS
Ingenuity, Integrity, and Intelligence.