Engineering expert discusses next steps after fire closes bridge

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Associate Professor Gian Andrea Rassati spoke to WLWT5's Ashley Kirklen and Sheree Paolello about what engineers look for to determine if the span's steel or concrete sustained structural damage.

Rassati teaches in UC's Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management. He said inspectors will examine the structural integrity of the steel members.

“They're looking at which members will need replacing. And based on the pictures I've seen, there are several that will need replacement,” Rassati said.

“And they're also looking at the concrete deck, the roadway and all the ancillary structures like the signs,” he said. “So there's a lot to do.”

A fire caused by a truck crash damaged and closed the Brent Spence Bridge in 2020. That span was closed to traffic for six weeks.

Rassati said the fire captured on video Friday morning looked much bigger than the fire that damaged and closed the Brent Spence Bridge. 

“That's the million-dollar question: how hot did that fire burn?” he said.

“Depending on the temperature and time of exposure, some steel members might be OK. And others that look OK might need to be replaced because of the temperature they reached in the fire,” he said.

Rassati said bridge repairs can be done more quickly than most people realize.

“It's suprisingly fast. The fabricators, erectors and design engineers know what to do. A lot of them were trained by our program,” he said.

“It's shorter than you think, but it's still going to be a little painful. It's not going to be days. It will probably be weeks or months.”

Featured image at top: UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Associate Professor Gian Andrea Rassati talks to WLWT5's Ashley Kirklen and Sheree Paolello about fire damage to the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge. Photo/WLWT5