CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The deadly bridge collapse in Miami Thursday sparked safety concerns about similar projects in the Charlotte area as well as reminders of accidents close to home.
You may remember in 2000, dozens of people were hurt when a pedestrian bridge collapsed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord.
There are currently two proposed pedestrian bridges in our area -- one in Charlotte and another in Rock Hill, S.C. The bridge in Charlotte would go over Highway 74 at the I-277 interchange.
In Rock Hill, a rendering showed a pedestrian bridge proposal for the downtown area. The structure would be built over railroad tracks on Dave Lyle Boulevard to make it easier to access Winthrop University and the Old Towne District.
More than 2,000 bridges have been built in the last decade in North Carolina. NBC Charlotte looked into the inspection process. Each bridge is inspected at least every two years.
Any bridge with a structural problem is addressed by contract repairs or North Carolina Department of Transportation. If it’s deemed unsafe, it is immediately repaired or closed.
NBC Charlotte also looked at the number of bridges in the U.S. considered safe but needing repairs. North Carolina ranked 28th and South Carolina 22nd.