Updated

Transportation officials are scrambling to re-inspect state bridges after a longtime inspector acknowledged falsifying dozens of reports, authorities said.

The inspector, David Simmons, said he and his partner filed 54 reports for bridges they never visited. Officials are trying to determine if any other reports were faked.

Commissioner Gena Abraham said the department doesn't believe any of the state's bridges are unsafe but is checking to make sure.

Simmons, a 29-year veteran of the department, was granted retirement after the deception was discovered. The state attorney general is trying to determine if any charges should be brought. His partner, who was not named, also resigned, but has not acknowledged wrongdoing.

Authorities believe Simmons and his partner felt pressure to meet a new federal reporting deadline for inspections following last summer's bridge collapse in Minneapolis.