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58,500 American bridges 'structurally deficient', new analysis finds
THERE are 58,500 structurally deficient bridges in the United States, according to the US Department of Transportation's 2015 "National Bridge Inventory" database.
But there were 2,574 fewer structurally deficient bridges in 2015 compared to the number in 2014. said the survey.
If placed end-to-end, the deck surface of the nation's structurally deficient bridges would stretch from New York City to Miami, or 1,340 miles, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), which conducted the survey.
About nine-and-a-half per cent of the nation's 610,000 bridges are structurally deficient, ARTBA found, but cars, trucks, school buses and emergency vehicles cross them 204 million times a day.
To help ensure public safety, bridge decks and support structures are regularly inspected by the state transport departments 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 structurally deficient its overall rating is four or below, but funding from state and local authorities is not keeping pace with needs.
While these bridges may not be imminently unsafe, the purpose of the report, the association said, is to help educate the public and policymakers that they have structural deficiencies that need repair.
Almost all of the 250 most heavily crossed structurally deficient bridges are on urban highways in California and 85 per cent were built before 1970.
The most structurally deficient are in Iowa (5,025), Pennsylvania (4,783), Oklahoma (3,776), Missouri (3,222), Nebraska (2,474), Kansas (2,303), Illinois (2,244), Mississippi (2,184), North Carolina (2,085) and California (2,009). The District of Columbia (10), Nevada (35), Delaware (48), Hawaii (60) and Utah (95) have the least.
At least 15 per cent of the bridges in eight states-Rhode Island (23 per cent), Pennsylvania (21 per cent), Iowa (21 per cent), South Dakota (20 per cent), Oklahoma (16 per cent), Nebraska (16 per cent), North Dakota (16 per cent) and West Virginia (15 per cent) fall in the structurally deficient category.
Some 7,200 bridges in 2014 were repaired, replaced, rebuilt or removed from the 2015 inventory.
"It's going to take major new investment by all levels of government to move toward eliminating the huge backlog," said ARTBA economist Alison Premo Black who conducted the analysis
But there were 2,574 fewer structurally deficient bridges in 2015 compared to the number in 2014. said the survey.
If placed end-to-end, the deck surface of the nation's structurally deficient bridges would stretch from New York City to Miami, or 1,340 miles, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), which conducted the survey.
About nine-and-a-half per cent of the nation's 610,000 bridges are structurally deficient, ARTBA found, but cars, trucks, school buses and emergency vehicles cross them 204 million times a day.
To help ensure public safety, bridge decks and support structures are regularly inspected by the state transport departments 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 structurally deficient its overall rating is four or below, but funding from state and local authorities is not keeping pace with needs.
While these bridges may not be imminently unsafe, the purpose of the report, the association said, is to help educate the public and policymakers that they have structural deficiencies that need repair.
Almost all of the 250 most heavily crossed structurally deficient bridges are on urban highways in California and 85 per cent were built before 1970.
The most structurally deficient are in Iowa (5,025), Pennsylvania (4,783), Oklahoma (3,776), Missouri (3,222), Nebraska (2,474), Kansas (2,303), Illinois (2,244), Mississippi (2,184), North Carolina (2,085) and California (2,009). The District of Columbia (10), Nevada (35), Delaware (48), Hawaii (60) and Utah (95) have the least.
At least 15 per cent of the bridges in eight states-Rhode Island (23 per cent), Pennsylvania (21 per cent), Iowa (21 per cent), South Dakota (20 per cent), Oklahoma (16 per cent), Nebraska (16 per cent), North Dakota (16 per cent) and West Virginia (15 per cent) fall in the structurally deficient category.
Some 7,200 bridges in 2014 were repaired, replaced, rebuilt or removed from the 2015 inventory.
"It's going to take major new investment by all levels of government to move toward eliminating the huge backlog," said ARTBA economist Alison Premo Black who conducted the analysis
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