State of SA bridges out in the open

A year ago the South Australian Ombudsman described a decision by the Transport Services Department to refuse access to safety reports about bridges on grounds disclosure would aid terrorists, as absurd, irrational and ridiculous.The reports of 22 bridges rated "fair", "poor" or "unsafe" have now been released, presumably as a result of the Ombudsman's report. As the Freedom of Information applicant, Opposition shadow industry spokesman, Martin Hamilton-Smith says:

"Some of these bridges were rated by engineers as `poor' because they have specific faults, including construction joint concerns, cracking, missing bolts, pavement bleeding, chipping, girders with shear cracks, faulty piers, corroded pedestrian barriers and corroded bearings. "It's a disgrace. It is in the public interest for this information to be out in the open. "There is no credible excuse for the Government to cover up and to keep the truth secret."

 South Australians have been assured by the Department: "There are no bridges in South Australia that are unsafe." But I'm sure they'll now be keeping an eye out for the arrival of the bridge maintenance team.