A recent report by the U.S. Department of Transportation 2018 National Bridge Inventory database reveals 47,052 bridges nationwide are classified as structurally deficient, down slightly from 2017.
If placed end-to-end, the bridges would span nearly 1,100 miles. They are crossed by vehicles 178 million times daily, and 1,775 bridges are part of the Interstate Highway System.
“At the current pace, it would take more than 80 years to replace or repair the nation’s structurally deficient bridges,” Alison Premo Black, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) chief economist, said. “That’s longer than the average life expectancy of a person living in the U.S. America’s bridge network is outdated, underfunded and in urgent need of modernization. State and local government just haven’t been given the necessary resources to get the job done.”
The top 10 states for with the structurally deficient bridges are Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, California, New York, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Nationwide there are nearly 235,000 bridges that need some sort of structural repair, rehabilitation or replacement.
It would cost approximately $171 billion to make these repairs, according to ARTBA.
Last year, the Federal Highway Administration changed the definition of “structurally deficient,” limiting it to one of the key structural elements as in poor or worse condition.