DOT: Cracks on new bridge no concern

APPLETON - With the new College Avenue bridge open for less than a week, some are hoping 15 months of construction and nearly $18 million is not slipping through the cracks.

Some residents contacted FOX 11, concerned about dozens of cracks running across the tops of the decorative divider walls, called parapets.

The Department of Transportation says the cracks are normal and do not present any problems.

"It's absolutely nothing to worry about," said Becky Rooyakkers, project supervisor for the DOT. "Those are standard, what we call shrinkage cracks that all concrete pavement will get. When you pour concrete pavement, as it hardens it will shrink and those cracks appear. There's well over a million tons of steel in the bridge and that's there because concrete cracks."

Rooyakkers says the bridge was inspected the day before it was opened and received excellent ratings. She also says taxpayers should not worry about concrete cracks leading to costly repairs.

"We've sealed the deck and we'll be sealing the parapets to keep the water out," she said. "That's something we do standard on all bridges and only our stand routine maintenance is all we expect to do."