Crews inspect area bridges after earthquake
Wednesday - 8/24/2011, 2:08pm ET
Gallery: (2 images)
Adam Tuss, wtop.com
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The day after the strongest earthquake in the D.C. region since World War II, road crews were busy inspecting bridges, overpasses and tunnels to make sure nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Under the Duke Street overpass along southbound Interstate 395, Kamran Motamedamin got in a bucket truck and took aim at the belly of the overpass with a hammer, listening and watching to make sure nothing shifted around.
"We come out here on site and make sure there are no unusual movements to our structures, our beams, our bearings -- make sure things are sturdy," said Motamedamin, with the Virginia Department of Transportation's Northern Virginia District bridge office. "At this particular bridge, everything seems to be in line."
Road crews have not found anything out of the ordinary in Northern Virginia, or anywhere else across the region. The Wilson Bridge was checked by both Virginia and Maryland road crews Tuesday and cleared.
In Maryland, the State Highway Administration is getting a precautionary up-close look at the MD 4 Patuxent Beach Road Bridge -- also known as the Thomas Johnson Bridge -- which links Calvert and St. Mary's counties. SHA says it will also inspect other bridges throughout the state, and drivers could come across some lanes closures.
In the District, DDOT says it got a good look at all bridges yesterday, but visual inspections are continuing.
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