According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), an analysis of federal data shows that more than a third of all the bridges in America need major repair work or to be replaced entirely.
The 2020 ARTBA Bridge Report found that nearly 231,000 bridges, or 37 percent of all the bridges in the country, need serious work. The group estimated that the 6,300 miles of bridges are crossed by American drivers 1.5 billion times a day. Of them, more than 46,000 of the bridges are “structurally deficient.”
More than 81,000 bridges should be replaced, according to ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black, who led the analysis. The report comes as Congress and the Trump administration begin work on a fourth stimulus package to respond to the impact of COVID-19, this one looking into transportation infrastructure investments.
“At the current pace, it would take more than 50 years to repair America’s structurally deficient bridges,” Black said. “Our bridge network is underfunded and should be modernized. State and local government just haven’t been given the necessary financial resources to fully address the problem.”
The bridges on the list include the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge in Washington, D.C., the San Mateo-Hayward bridge crossing in San Francisco, and the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Florida.
ARTBA estimates the repairs to the bridges would be nearly $164 billion, based on average cost data from the Federal Highway Administration.
“Economic recovery from coronavirus begins with strategic road and bridge improvements,” ARTBA President Dave Bauer says. “Increased transportation investments support direct job creation and retention while putting in place capital assets that will enhance U.S. productivity for decades to come.”
Bauer said Congress first step should be unanimous approval of the five-year highway reauthorization bill.
“The sooner we invest in robust new transportation improvements, the sooner the American people will experience the economic benefits,” Bauer said.