[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 167 (Wednesday, October 31, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2293]]
     HONORING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF 
  TRANSPORTATION, OFFICE OF STRUCTURE MAINTENANCE, AND INVESTIGATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 31, 2007

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay 
tribute to the dedicated professionals of the California Department of 
Transportation's (Caltrans) Office of Structure Maintenance and 
Investigations, (SM&I), which is marking its 80th anniversary of 
service to the people of the Golden State.
  In 1927, while Babe Ruth swatted 60 home runs and Charles Lindbergh 
crossed the Atlantic Ocean solo, the State of California showed the 
wisdom and foresight to create a special branch of engineering experts 
to ensure the safety and reliability of its State highways and bridges.
  Babe Ruth's home run mark fell in 1961 to the bat of Roger Maris and 
air travel over the ``pond'' became a routine occurrence. All the 
while, California's bridge maintenance program has stood the test of 
time and continues to deliver on its mission of providing Californians 
with a safe and dependable network of bridges carrying traffic and 
pedestrians over rivers, canyons, railroads, highways and city streets 
all across the Golden State.
  That effort is still paying dividends for California and the Nation. 
More than 24,000 State and local agency bridges in California reliably 
serve millions of travelers and billions of dollars of commerce because 
of the ongoing care provided by Structure Maintenance and 
Investigations staff. These structures run the gamut from the majestic 
San Francisco-Oakland Bay and San Diego-Coronado bridges to the 
historic arch spans along the scenic Monterey Coast and the tens of 
thousands of unassuming concrete, steel and timber bridges dotting the 
California landscape. The safety and reliability of California's 
bridges has been instrumental in fueling one of the world's largest 
economies. More than 160 million vehicle trips are recorded on 
California's transportation system each day.
  Caltrans Structure Maintenance and Investigations engineering 
personnel have conducted more than 650,000 routine inspections and 
thousands of special hydraulic, steel and underwater bridge inspections 
since 1927. They look for any signs of deterioration, fatigue or 
distress in bridge decks, superstructures and substructures, and the 
office has initiated tens of millions of dollars in repairs to ensure 
the safety and structural integrity of each public agency bridge in 
California.
  Thanks to the ongoing dedication of the Structure Maintenance and 
Investigations professionals, no public agency bridge in California has 
ever collapsed due to neglect. The bridge inspection program pioneered 
by Structure Maintenance & Investigations has become the model for 
transportation agencies around the Nation and the world.
  As part of its ongoing bridge maintenance program, Structure 
Maintenance and Investigations maintains a library of more than one 
million documents, some dating back more than 100 years, documenting 
the history of each public agency bridge in California.
  Structure Maintenance and Investigations personnel have responded in 
a timely and heroic fashion to a myriad of natural and manmade 
disasters to protect public safety and complete any needed repairs to 
California's transportation system. While their efforts have been well 
chronicled in major disasters such as the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 
Northridge earthquakes, SM&I personnel routinely answer the call to 
protect public safety. Such a case occurred last year in California's 
Sonoma County where two engineers risked their own safety to inspect 
the Highway 128 bridge over the rampaging Russian River near 
Geyserville. The engineers determined that the floodwaters had 
compromised the integrity of the bridge. They closed the structure and 
initiated a project that resulted in construction of a new bridge.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate for us to convey to 
all the dedicated professionals at the California Department of 
Transportation's Office of Structure Maintenance and Investigations the 
thanks of a grateful State for years of dedicated service ensuring the 
safety and reliability of California's transportation system.

                          ____________________