Drivers concerned about the safety of Bismarck-Mandan bridges may have stopped short at the sight of a report that seems to have rated the Grant Marsh Bridge unusually low for safety.

The report, available on MSNBC.com and compiled by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting at the University of Missouri, says the I-94 bridge is ranked at a low 51.7, just 1.7 points higher than the safety rating assigned to the Minneapolis, Minn. eight-lane 35W bridge that recently collapsed.

That report, however, is misleading, according to North Dakota Department of Transportation.

Arepresentative at the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting said the road described on the bridge ranked 51.7 was technically the I-94 business loop. This could be describing each bridge ending in a loop that leads to I-94, including Memorial Bridge, which was actually rated 51.7.

In 2006, the Grant Marsh Bridge was rated sufficient at just above 85, said Terry Udland with NDDOT's bridges division. Bismarck Expressway was ranked high at 95.1.

A value of 100 is a sufficent bridge; zero is a deficient bridge.

Liberty Memorial Bridge is a different story, however. The bridge received a 51.7 rating and an "O,"meaning it's functionally obsolete. But recent improvements have made the bridge safe as crews continue to work on building up the new one, officials said.

North Dakota Department of Transportation Director Francis Ziegler said the bridge is still safe to drive on. Ziegler was assistant director at DOT two years ago, when Memorial Bridge was closed for safety concerns and when steel bands were added to support weakened sections of support piers.

Other bridges in the state were rated below 60, however.

In West Fargo, a bridge over the Sheyenne River was rated functionally deficient at 57.6. A BNRR bridge on 294 in Fargo was rated structurally deficient at 56.4, although Udland said that one is being bid in November with work to start on it in the spring.

Udland said that bridge inspectors have the authority to immediately shut down a bridge if they see something of major concern. Otherwise, reports are sent to Udland's office, which puts together an action plan and sends out priority lists to the district engineers.

(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or crystal.reid@;bismarcktribune.com.)