Bridge inspections still underway in aftermath of Utah earthquake

Utah Geological Survey hazards geologist Emily Kleber measures the length of a crack along the road to the Great Salt Lake Marina that was likely caused by Wednesday’s 5.7 magnitude earthquake near Magna, on Thursday, March 19, 2020. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Expansion to include pedestrian walkways

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Transportation is expanding its inspection of bridges in the aftermath of Wednesday’s magnitude 5.7 earthquake to include pedestrian and railroad infrastructure, with 600 that have been inspected as of midday Friday.

“The good news is we have only had one bridge that we have had to close and divert traffic from,” said UDOT spokesman John Gleason.

The closure is the Fort Union flyover ramp to westbound I-215, which will likely be inspected more thoroughly in the next couple of days.

“We are just not taking any risks with the safety of the bridges,” Gleason said.

He added that 14 bridges have been “yellow-flagged” for further inspection of minimal damage that appears to be cosmetic.

“It is not anything we are concerned about with structural damage.”

Inspection crews are working quickly to inspect the remaining 105 bridges, he said.

“We really want to make sure we are going over these bridges with a fine tooth comb to make sure we are addressing any issues from the earthquake,” Gleason said.

Dr. Keith D. Koper, director of the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, said there have been an estimated 500 aftershocks since Wednesday morning’s earthquake centered near Magna and the number is changing minute by minute.

While that number seems dramatic, Koper said they are decreasing in strength.

The aftershocks will likely continue for weeks, if not a month, he said.

The good news, however, is the more they continue, the risk decreases.

“It is less and less likely the longer we go that we will have a big damaging aftershock,” Koper said.

Structural engineers were continuing to assess the damage Friday at the Rio Grande Depot, where chunks of plaster fell to the floor. The depot houses the Utah Department of Heritage & Arts and includes an interior walkway to the south where a building is home to State Archives .

Department spokesman Josh Loftin said the building continues to be closed due to concerns about more plaster falling off the walls.

The basement houses the state’s collection of artifacts. A couple were toppled in the earthquake, but not damaged, he said.

Most concerning is the long-held fear that an earthquake could have triggered the automatic sprinkling system, damaging the precious items. That did not happen.

“We have been lucky and we were lucky this time there was not damage to the artifacts,” Loftin said.

The Great Salt Lake State Park Marina also continues to be closed but is expected to reopen Saturday.

Park officials have been grappling with a pair of gas leaks, a water pipeline that broke and roadway cracks caused by the earthquake.

An American Red Cross Evacuation Center at Taylorsville High School was scheduled to close Friday evening. Any residents in need of assistance should call 1-800-REDCROSS.

This story will be updated throughout the day.

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