WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2023
A recent investigation from Scripps News using newly released federal data reportedly shows the unexpected difficulties in repairing bridges in the nation that are corroded, cracked and at a heightened risk of being shut down.
According to the report, billions of federal tax dollars are going towards fixing worn out bridges coast to coast as over 14,000 in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. have been ranked in poor condition for at least a decade.
About the Investigation
After the Fern Hollow bridge collapse in Pittsburgh last year, Scripps News discovered that warnings about the bridge went back years. Documents in litigation filed by survivors of the collapse reportedly showed many years of neglect. According to the report, a 2001 bridge inspection reported documented corrosion of the bridge’s legs. By 2005, there were signs of “severe corrosion.”
Additionally, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board discovered clogged drains on the bridge that led to some of the deterioration.
Billions of federal tax dollars are going toward fixing worn-out bridges in the U.S., but a #ScrippsNews investigation shows it won't be nearly enough to touch thousands of bridges that are damaged and at a heightened risk of being shut down for safety.
— Scripps News (@scrippsnews) August 11, 2023
What do YOU think? pic.twitter.com/Yhxv3x89Ib
After the collapse, the NTSB reportedly broadened its look at bridges across Pennsylvania and found that the state had numerous bridges in similar states of degradation.
“The problem of incomplete maintenance—where maintenance was identified as needed in inspection reports but not completed—was not unique to the Fern Hollow Bridge,” the NTSB wrote in a May 2023 report.
Even more than a year after the Fern Hollow collapse, Pittsburgh reportedly has multiple bridges in “startling states of disrepair.” Kent Harries, a structural engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh, stated while pointing out problems with the 28th Street Bridge, used by thousands of people each day.
“This is one of the only connections across and then up for quite some distance,” Harries told reporters at the base of the bridge.
“We can see older steel,” Harries said as flakes of rusted steel on the bridge supports came off in his hands. "This is a great example of just not having the resources to address what's necessary.”
According to the report, parts of the bridge date back to 1890, with records detailing deterioration going back 30 years. The Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure stated that the bridge would be scheduled to undergo full rehabilitation, though not until 2026.
Across town, the Maple Avenue bridge near Carnegie, Pennsylvania, reportedly has holes big enough “to see the sky from beneath the bridge deck.” According to the report, a tree had grown out of a concrete side of the bridge.
Shortly after the disaster, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey reportedly ordered a review of all the city’s bridges.
According to the report, new repair projects have begun, though work on many of the bridges is still years away. Gainey stated that a lack of money makes it “impossible” to fix all of the bridges in need of attention.
“If we could, we would,” Gainey said. “Funding is a major issue, not just for the city. Infrastructure throughout America needs to be improved. I'm so fortunate that President Biden has focused on a bipartisan infrastructure bill, but the reality is we need more.”
Additionally, a transportation department spokesperson stated that it was true that even with recent infusion of federal funding, it would take more money to address the “staggering backlog” of bridges in need.
Other Bridges in the Nation
President Joe Biden said the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse would jump start his plans to target federal funding to help cities across the country refurbish ailing bridges.
Since his administration, money from the bipartisan infrastructure law and other federal funding sources have helped pay for more than 6,400 bridge repair and replacement efforts. However, that still reportedly leaves thousands of bridges in need of funding.
Combined, the 14,000 bridges in the U.S. that have been ranked in poor condition carry over 46 million passengers every day. While a bridge may be in poor condition, Scripps News states, it doesn’t mean it will collapse, it may only require weight limits for trucks, as well as more frequent inspections.
Bridges in poor condition are reportedly at a greater risk of closure for safety concerns. According to the report, repairing all the bridges identified in the news analysis would cost at least $97 billion.
“That list, that number, is not going to go down,” said Harries. “We've been neglecting our infrastructure pretty much since we built it. I'm not certain that it's perceived as critically by the public as it should be.”
Bridge projects lacking funds extend beyond Pennsylvania, including brdges that are not technically considered to be in poor condition. According to the report, plans have been in the works for years to fix the Magnolia Bridge in Seattle, weakened by an earthquake from 2001. In Massachusetts, it will reportedly take $4 billion to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges that connect Cape Cod.
These bridges are considered to be in fair condition, despite all of them needing major work.
Also, northeast of Denver, a bridge going over six lanes of US-85 reportedly has “spindly cracks” all over the bottom of its concrete deck. According to the report, it has been in poor condition since 1989.
Related News
Earlier in January 2022, just before the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, President Biden announced a new program launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation targeting the replacement and repair of the nation’s bridges as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
The Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program (Bridge Formula Program) was to be administered by the Federal Highway Administration and represents the largest bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system.
According to 2021 data from the National Bridge Inventory, more than 43,000 bridges in the country were in poor condition.
A total of $26.5 billion would be provided to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over the next five years, and $825 million in funding for Tribal transportation facilities. In the 2022 fiscal year, $5.3 billion would be available to states, D.C. and Puerto Rico and $165 million for tribes.
USDOT expected the Bridge Formula Program to help repair approximately 15,000 highway bridges, as well as dedicate funding for Tribal transportation facility bridges and “off-system” bridges, or locally owned facilities not on the federal-aid highway system.
As an incentive for off-system bridges owned by a county, city, town or other local agency, the new guidance noted that federal funds could be used for 100% of the cost of repairing or rehabilitating the structures. Typically, states must match federal funding with up to 20% state or local funding.
Funds had been allocated to states based on need, with states responsible for deciding what bridge projects get funded. According to reports, the administration was encouraging states to use funds to repair existing bridges, when possible, but if choose to build new bridges should prioritize equity and address barriers to opportunity and challenges experienced by underserved communities.
A full map of bridges in poor condition and funding provided by state can be found here.
Tagged categories: Bridges; Bridges; Construction; Corrosion; CORROSION; Corrosion protection; Department of Transportation (DOT); Health & Safety; Health and safety; Infrastructure; Infrastructure; NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board); President Biden; Program/Project Management; Rebuilding; Rehabilitation/Repair