Sen. Hagan says NC’s bridges safe after Obama calls them ‘structurally deficient’

Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) downplayed President Obama’s concern that Americans should not wait “until another bridge falls,” and in turn pass his jobs bill that promotes infrastructure improvements, saying that the bridges in her home state are safe.

“No, no there are not any bridges in North Carolina in danger of falling,” Hagan said to CNS News.

The president painted a bleaker picture during a Sept. 14 speech in North Carolina.

“In North Carolina alone, there are 153 structurally deficient bridges that need to be repaired. Four of them are near here, on or around the [Raleigh] Beltline. Why would we wait to act until another bridge falls?” Obama said.

The president has been touring infrastructure projects in swing states across the country to rally support for his jobs and budget plans. On Thursday, Obama spoke at a bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky, home states of Republican leaders in the House and Senate. He has repeatedly invoked the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people.

But conservatives have argued that the president is overstating the risk involved in declining infrastructure. While the Department of Transportation uses the term “structurally deficient” to describe bridges in need of careful observation and maintenance, the term does not mean, as it might imply, that a bridge is unsafe to drive across.

While Hagan sought to reassure North Carolina drivers, she did say that she supported the president’s push for roads projects.

“I do know that we do need infrastructure improvements,” Hagan said.

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