Acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn ordered the immediate inspection of all state-owned bridges of similar age and condition to the Capital Beltway Bridge which is currently under repairs.

The Capital Beltway bridge that crosses over Suitland Road is currently being repaired after a piece of concrete fell onto a car passing below it on Feb. 10. The directive will apply to 27 state-owned bridges, all built prior to 1969 and in similar condition to the Capital Beltway bridge.

The inspections will begin immediately and are expected to take several days. They will be carried out by the State Highway Administration and the Maryland Transportation Authority. A team of specially trained bridge inspectors will carefully examine each bridge to identify and repair any loose concrete.

Repairs may extend beyond the inspection period and might impact traffic. Of the 2,903 bridges maintained by SHA and MDTA, 82 have been rated as structurally deficient and rehabilitation for those bridges is either currently being planned or under construction. Bridges which are tagged structurally deficient are safe for travel but are in need of rehabilitation or replacement.

“Motorists should not have to think twice about driving across or under one of our bridges,” said Rahn. “These targeted statewide inspections will help us immediately identify any bridges in need of repair with the goal of preventing what happened on Tuesday from occurring again.”

Here is a list of the 27 bridges which have been targeted for inspection: