Nearly 56,000 bridges in the US are listed as structurally deficient List, according to new analysis of Federal Data by 920 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). An analysis of the 2364 US Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) recently-released 2016 National Bridge Inventory data finds cars, trucks and school buses cross the nation’s 55,710 structurally compromised bridges 185 million times/day. About 1,900 are on the Interstate Highway System. State transportation departments have identified 13,000 Interstate bridges that need replacement, widening or major reconstruction. The length of the nation’s structurally deficient bridges would stretch 2,027km if placed end-to-end, half the distance from New York to Los Angeles.
The inventory of structurally deficient bridges has declined 0.5% since the 2015 report. At that pace, it would take more than two decades to replace or repair all of them, according to ARTBA chief economist Dr Alison Premo Black, who conducted the analysis. Black says the data shows 28% of bridges (173,919) are over 50 years old and have never had any major reconstruction work in that time. “America’s highway network is woefully underperforming. It is outdated, overused, underfunded and in desperate need of modernisation,” Black said. “State and local transportation departments haven’t been provided the resources to keep pace with the nation’s bridge needs.”
To help ensure public safety, bridge decks and support structures are regularly inspected for deterioration and remedial action. They are rated on a scale of zero to nine—with nine meaning the bridge is in “excellent” condition. A bridge is classified as structurally deficient and in need of repair if its overall rating is four or below.
While these bridges may not be imminently unsafe, they are in need of attention. The list includes: Brooklyn & Throgs Neck (NY), Yankee Doodle (Conn), Memorial (Va.-DC) and Greensboro (NC) Bridges. The average age of a structurally deficient bridge is 67 years old, compared to 39 years for non-deficient bridges. Some 41% of US bridges (250,406) are over 40 years old and have not had major reconstruction work.
Other key findings in the ARTBA analysis reveal the issue on a state by state basis: Iowa (4,968), Pennsylvania (4,506), Oklahoma (3,460), Missouri (3,195), Nebraska (2,361), Illinois (2,243), Kansas (2,151), Mississippi (2,098), Ohio (1,942) and New York (1,928) have the most structurally deficient bridges. The District of Columbia (9), Nevada (31), Delaware (43), Hawaii (64) and Utah (95) have the least.
Eight states have particularly high levels of bridges in the structurally deficient category: Rhode Island (25%), Iowa (21%), Pennsylvania (20%), South Dakota (20%), West Virginia (17%), Nebraska (15%), North Dakota (15%) and Oklahoma (15%).
The inventory of structurally deficient bridges has declined 0.5% since the 2015 report. At that pace, it would take more than two decades to replace or repair all of them, according to ARTBA chief economist Dr Alison Premo Black, who conducted the analysis. Black says the data shows 28% of bridges (173,919) are over 50 years old and have never had any major reconstruction work in that time. “America’s highway network is woefully underperforming. It is outdated, overused, underfunded and in desperate need of modernisation,” Black said. “State and local transportation departments haven’t been provided the resources to keep pace with the nation’s bridge needs.”
To help ensure public safety, bridge decks and support structures are regularly inspected for deterioration and remedial action. They are rated on a scale of zero to nine—with nine meaning the bridge is in “excellent” condition. A bridge is classified as structurally deficient and in need of repair if its overall rating is four or below.
While these bridges may not be imminently unsafe, they are in need of attention. The list includes: Brooklyn & Throgs Neck (NY), Yankee Doodle (Conn), Memorial (Va.-DC) and Greensboro (NC) Bridges. The average age of a structurally deficient bridge is 67 years old, compared to 39 years for non-deficient bridges. Some 41% of US bridges (250,406) are over 40 years old and have not had major reconstruction work.
Other key findings in the ARTBA analysis reveal the issue on a state by state basis: Iowa (4,968), Pennsylvania (4,506), Oklahoma (3,460), Missouri (3,195), Nebraska (2,361), Illinois (2,243), Kansas (2,151), Mississippi (2,098), Ohio (1,942) and New York (1,928) have the most structurally deficient bridges. The District of Columbia (9), Nevada (31), Delaware (43), Hawaii (64) and Utah (95) have the least.
Eight states have particularly high levels of bridges in the structurally deficient category: Rhode Island (25%), Iowa (21%), Pennsylvania (20%), South Dakota (20%), West Virginia (17%), Nebraska (15%), North Dakota (15%) and Oklahoma (15%).
