Mark my words

The day after I blogged Florida officials shouldn't be saying there is no Florida bridge like the one that collapsed in Minnesota, we get this news.

TOWN - 'N COUNTRY - Hillsborough County officials closed a two-lane bridge over Double Branch Creek on Friday after finding its condition had deteriorated.

The 27-foot-wide bridge on Memorial Highway between Double Branch Road and River Road has been considered "deficient" for several years and is scheduled for replacement in 2010, Public Works Director Bob Gordon said.

The bridge, which is used about 570 times a day, is "not in danger of falling down," he said.

Crews closed the bridge Friday evening, and it is likely to remain off limits for 30 days. Gordon said his agency will ask county commissioners to close the bridge until construction of the new span in three years or approve $200,000 in emergency repairs.

Concrete had chipped away from the aging bridge's horizontal support beams, and crews feared metal in the beams could corrode because of the river's brackish water, Gordon said.

Here is a reminder of what was said in the Sun-Sentinel yesterday.

Federal officials have alerted states to immediately inspect all bridges similar to the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River. Florida does not have any state bridges like the one that collapsed in Minneapolis.

Gov. Charlie Crist asked the head of the Florida Department of Transportation for a status report on all Florida's bridges.

Never say never, right? There are certainly some Florida bridges in need of repair. Officials and the MSM have to stop acting like a bunch of ostriches.

Linked to- Pirate's Cove, Pursuing Holiness, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl,