Kanan bridge in the clear

The disastrous bridge collapse in Minnesota prompted Caltrans to conduct emergency inspections of thousands of bridges throughout California, including the Kanan Road bridge that crosses the 101 Freeway.

The prospect of substandard bridges caused alarm around the state, but according to Caltrans director Will Kempton in a teleconference Aug. 9, the vast majority of California's bridges are safe.

Caltrans put 228 bridges- including the Kanan overpass- on a "priority structurally deficient" list. Structurally deficient does not mean the bridge is unsafe, but needs repairs to prevent minor cracks, erosion, peeling paint and potholes from becoming more serious, the agency said.

The Kanan bridge received a "sufficiency rating" of 65.3 out of 100. Only three bridges in the fivecounty, Southern California region received a higher rating.

According to Caltrans public information officer Maria Raptis, the Kanan overpass was listed for of two reasons. Several months ago, an oversized truck traveling on the 101 Freeway clipped the bridge, which caused damage to the structure. Caltrans fixed the bridge at the end of July, about a month ahead of schedule, Raptis said.

Nathan Hamburger, assistant city manager for the city of Agoura Hills, said the structure of the bridge was not actually damaged but reinforcement bar was exposed.

The second reason the local bridge made the list has to do with the recent Kanan interchange construction. During the work, cracks appeared at each end of the bridge, but were repaired in March, Hamburger said.

Caltrans will sign off on repairs once the city completes landscaping and other improvement to the loop ramps.

"Based on information from Caltrans bridge maintenance staff, the Kanan Bridge is structurally sound and safe for vehicle traffic," said Hamburger.

Caltrans inspected all steel deck truss bridges between Aug. 3 and 5 similar to the one that collapsed in Minnesota.

For more information about the report visit www.dot.ca.gov.