David Mongan is president of Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani LLC, an architectural and engineering firm in Baltimore City, and president-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Mongan has almost 35 years of engineering experience, and his firm provides services in bridge and highway construction. He spoke Thursday to The Examiner about the bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
What do you think went wrong in Minneapolis?
It is much too early to speculate. You could talk to 12 experts and get12 different opinions. The National Transportation Safety Board is on [the] scene with 19 experts who are doing a thorough job of investigating this collapse. There are so many reasons why this bridge could have collapsed.
What is your impression of bridge safety in Maryland?
I am very confident that the bridges in the state are safe to drive on. The state inspects the bridges every two years and toll bridges are inspected every year. Any potential problem would be identified and taken care of.
The American Society of Civil Engineers currently grades bridges across the nation with a “C.” Twenty-five percent of bridges are structurally or functionally deficient, and it would take $10 billion a year for 20 years to correct those problems.
What effect will the collapse have on the future of bridge construction?
The effect will be based upon what we determine as the reason for the collapse. If the reason is the design, that will be corrected in the future in bridges with similar designs.
