A bridge spanning the Pomperaug River along Route 172 in South Britain received a clean bill of health following an inspection Tuesday morning, one of thousands of bridge inspections done by the state every two years. The snooper Tuesday was provided by state contractor McClain & Co. of Middletown, which specializes in the support of engineering companies and government agencies for the inspection and maintenance of bridges. Workers used a device called a snooper, a cranelike apparatus that allows for access to the bridge’s underside. There, inspectors applied various techniques, including a simple tap of a hammer, to determine the bridge’s structural integrity, much of it based on sound. A state Department of Transportation engineer on scene said the inspection focuses on a bridge’s steel super structure and underside concrete decking.
Route 172 bridge in Southbury gets green light from inspectors