INFRASTRUCTURE RESOURCES

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal, Nov/Dec 2007 by Rainey, Kate

The safety of infrastructure is at the forefront of readers' minds, and investigations on this topic are in high demand. If you're starting your own, check out some of the investigations that have come before. Copies of the stories are available by calling the IRE Resource Center at 573-882-3364 or e-mailing rescntr@ire.org.

Bridge stories

* Story No. 22667: Twenty welders who helped with the construction of a new Bay Bridge span said they were pressured to conceal substandard welds in the bridge's foundation and they witnessed the contractor concealing injuries from health and safety regulators. At the time of publication, the investigation was ongoing. Scan Holstege, Jill Tucker, The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune (2005)

* Story No. 22553: New York's Tappan Zee Bridge was deteriorating because of structural decay, failing safety ratings and failed restoration efforts, and the state authority resisted disclosing the inspection reports. Jörge Fitz-Gibbon, Bruce Golding, Dwight R. Worley, The (White Plains, N.Y.) Journal News (2005)

* Story No. 22426: An investigation revealed significant structural problems on a New York bridge's busy off-ramp, and internal e-mails obtained from the state Department of Transportation indicated the department covered up their knowledge of the extent of the damage. Luke Moretti, Joseph Schlaerth, Mike Mombrea, Paul Woodson, WIVBBuffalo (2005)

* Story No. 21886: One-third of Ventura County's bridges were built before 1965. Although 28 of them have been declared structurally deficient, the county is still waiting for funds to repair or replace them, even after winter floods washed away one bridge and further weakened others. Dani Dodge, Ventura (Calif.) County Star (2005)

* Story No. 21709: Lee County siphoned nearly $50 million in tolls from Sanibel Causeway bridges to pay for other projects, and the bridges have rapidly deteriorated because of a lack of maintenance. The county faces a $105 million bill to replace the bridges and tolls have doubled to pay the extra expense. Jeff Cull, The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press (2004)

* Story No. 21397: This three-part series examines Oregon's deteriorating bridges. Some argue the damage is due to the state's allowing truck weights that exceed the capacity. The bridges are cracking, but it's not up to the designers to fix them; the delay is in state politics. Les Zaitz, James Long, The (Portland) Oregonian (2002)

* Story No. 20792: Nearly 24 percent of all railroad bridges in Ohio are of poor quality. Repair costs are in the millions and disputes over the railroads' responsibility mean taxpayers pick up the tab. Richard Exner, The (Cleveland, Ohio) Plain Dealer (2003)

Dams

* Story No. 22793: Some "high hazard" dams in Maryland, which the state Department of the Environment considers unsafe and a threat to public safety, are in imminent danger of failing. David Collins, Augusta Brennan Jones, Joyce Karp; Gregory Marsh, Charles Cochran; James Finney, Roy Taylor, WBAL-Baltimore (2006)

* Story No. 16170: Iowa state officials have failed to inspect major dams since 1990 despite a state law requiring such checks." The Des Moines Register, Perry Beeman( 1999)

More infrastructure stories

Reporting on other types of structures, or related issues, such as the roads or rails that cross bridges.

* Story No. 22613: Certain trucks deemed too heavy for the federally-regulated interstates are allowed to use North Carolina's state highways. Other trucks are allowed to use roads that highway engineers say are too fragile to carry the trucks' weight. The trucks are damaging the state's roads and bridges and driving up maintenance costs. Pat Stith, The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer (2005)

* Story No. 21760: Before a pier on a $350 million highway project collapsed, an investigation had revealed incorrect construction. The investigation resumed after the collapse, and reporters uncovered more mistakes, including inadequate ground testing methods. Mike Mason, Aaron Wische, Matt McGlashen, Randy Wright, WFTS-Tampa (2004)

* Story No. 21059: In less than a decade, Missouri's roads went from some of the nation's best to the third worst, with an average of more than 20 major potholes and bumps per mile. This investigation cites practices at the Missouri Department of Transportation as the cause. Judy Thomas, Gregory S. Reeves, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star (2003)

* Story No. 20206: Boston's "Big Dig," the nation's largest and most expensive public works project, had more than $1.6 billion of excess construction costs, but no one had been held accountable. The reporters found that mistakes and poor decisions by the corporate joint venture running the project had caused about two-thirds of the overrun. Raphael Lewis, Scan P. Murphy, The Boston Globe (2003)

Tipsheets

* No. 2683: "Reporting on Federally-Funded Highway and Transit Projects," David Barnes, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation. This tipsheet provides an oversight of federal transportation funds, common contract fraud schemes, and how to find problems during construction projects and helpful Web sites, along with other information. Disponible en español: #2870.