OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Bridge engineers in Nebraska and Iowa says the safety problems seen in Delaware with an interstate bridge are not likely to happen here. On Thursday, Delaware ordered immediate inspections of major bridges after closing a leaning bridge Monday. Officials think piles of dirt dumped near the bridge might be responsible for shifting the ground beneath the span.

Nebraska State Bridge Engineer Mark Traynowicz says a combination of inspections and laws requiring permits for any work or dumping of state rights of way would thwart similar problems in Nebraska.

Scott Neubauer, Iowa’s bridge maintenance and inspection engineer, says Iowa doesn’t plan inspections like Delaware is requiring. Neubauer says he’s never heard of an instance in Iowa with a contractor piling anything near a bridge that would interfere with its structural integrity.