Hearing the term "deficient" makes you wonder if our bridges are safe.
"Deficient" can mean different things.
The Department of Transportation wants to assure everyone that it inspects every bridge regularly -- and if one is found to be unsafe -- it is shut down, same day.
And newer bridges, such as the currently under consturction Topeka Boulevard Bridge -- should be more safe than older models.
There are two types of deficient bridges -- structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.
Structurally deficient means a bridge is starting to have problems -- and may need to be repaired or replaced in the future.
Functionally obsolete means the design is out-dated -- so, it could just be too narrow -- but not unsafe.
The Department of Transportation says they are confident in their bridges.
The Department of Transportation says there are bridges in Kansas with the same design as the bridge in Minneapolis.
They say they will wait to see what the official cause of the collapse is before they look into the Kansas bridges.