What Bridges Are Crumbling?: Find out what bridges are "structurally deficient" where you live!

[Better Believe It]

Congress has passed one extension after another to the expired transportation law, repeatedly punting on reforming the way we fund and build infrastructure. Meanwhile, our roads are congested, our bridges are crumbling, our infrastructure is failing, we don’t have options to get safely where we need to go, and we’re paying sky-high gas prices. It is time to Fix It!

Fixing it starts with adequately maintaining the systems we have and ensuring there's transparency and accountability for the money we spend. And it means making responsible investments in safer streets and better transportation options.

The State of Our Nation's Bridges

Despite billions of dollars in federal, state and local funds directed toward the maintenance of existing bridges, 69,223 bridges — 11.5 percent of total highway bridges in the U.S. — are classified as "structurally deficient," requiring significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.

Two key problems persist: while Congress has repeatedly declared bridge safety a national priority, existing federal programs don't ensure that aging bridges actually get fixed; and the current level of investment is nowhere near what is needed to keep up with our rapidly growing backlog of aging bridges.


Find out what bridges are "structurally deficient" near you at:

http://t4america.org/resources/bridges/

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[Arugula Latte]

2. When we go over a nearby bridge (the Sellwood over the Willamette in Portland, Ore.)

my kids unlock the car doors so they'll be better prepared to escape if the bridge collapses and we fall in the drink.

[thereismore]

3. Bridges will fall, I know that much. nt

[PotatoChip]

4. 4 within ten miles of me

Sadly not a huge surprise. Thanks for the link.

[liberal N proud]

5. I need something that can tell me which bridges are crumbling on my route

Traveling across country and need to be able see which bridges I should avoid.

[Better Believe It]

20. Check out the states on the map you will be traveling in.

[liberal N proud]

22. Yea, it just takes a lot of time.

[Better Believe It]

23. Kick

[HereSince1628]

6. More than I thought...twenty-two in the Milwaukee area

We've got concrete rain under some of the viaducts in Milwaukee Co. Even knowing that I was surprised at the number of these structural deficits on the interstate system in Milwaukee Co.

[cali]

7. 2 of them are less than a hundred yards away

[mfcorey1]

8. Bridges aren't the only things in danger of falling. I was in a major mall recently on the second

floor of the multilevel complex. I sat outside one of the stores and waited for my daughter. Whenever more than three people would walk by at the same time, it seemed that the structure would vibrate as though shaking. I found that very unnerving. Now, everytime I am in that mall, I am wondering if the structure will collapse one day.

[Xithras]

9. Interesting, but doesn't seem to be entirely accurate.

The map found about a dozen near me, mostly old two lane bridges crossing irrigation canals, but it also included four major bridges that people would be concerned about. The problem is that two of them are completely inaccurate. The first is a freeway bridge over a local river. It says the bridge was built in 1903, and that the superstructure is deficient. Problem is, the bridge was actually built in the 1970's, and was completely overhauled in the 1990's. You'd think that this would be an obvious error, as there WERE NO FREEWAYS in the U.S. in 1903. The second bridge, according to the map, was built in 1959 and carries a four lane roadway over a local creek. Again, this is wrong. There USED to be an old steel box-frame bridge on that site, but it was demolished and replaced with a new bridge in 1992. The data isn't even correct for the old one...it's demolition was the scene of a bit of ceremony, debate, and the new bridge carries a historical marker because the old bridge was built in 1899, and not 1959.

While the site is interesting, I wouldn't panic if I found a nearby bridge on that list. At a minimum, you should doublecheck any flagged bridges before worrying about changing your routes.

The inaccuracies do raise an interesting question, however. If there are bridges on the list that shouldn't be there, how many bridges SHOULD be there, and are missing?

[BadgerKid]

10. Hadn't appreciated just how many bridges are out there.

Found one within 1/4 mile of my home tagged as deficient.

[DavidDvorkin]

11. It's not up to date, however

It shows two bridges near me as being structurally deficient. They were, but one has been replaced by a new bridge, and the second is being replaced.

I wonder how often the data gets updated.

[ParkieDem]

14. Thought it would be more, honestly.

The only two in my area are being repaired. And looking at other family members' locales here in Texas, there really aren't as many as I expected there would be.

[City of Mills]

12. I've been meaning to update

My "Bridges of Middlesex County" post from 2007...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1721692&mesg_id=1721692

Maybe I'll go shoot some pictures this weekend.

[hunter]

13. There are 13 bridges on my map...

:scared:

You don't really notice driving over them as road crews are constantly filling or grinding away at the approaches as things shift about, but as a pedestrian walking under and over them you can really see some of these bridges are not right.

I think CalTrans has done a pretty good job lashing bridges together so they won't fall apart in earthquakes but even if the bridges stay in one piece there can be serious damage if the ground beneath them fails.

[BobbyBoring]

15. On most of the over pass bridges on the DC beltway

There's ply wood attached to the undersides to catch the concrete as it crumbles.

Think of all the jobs that would be created if we just started fixing broken stuff!

[Donnachaidh]

16. This is where we should be going after the multi-nationals about

They became multi-nationals using our roads to transport their goods. Don't want to pay taxes? How about FEES equivalent to 1.4 of your past ten years profits to pay us back for it?

[LiberalAndProud]

17. 14 within 10 miles.

I had no idea we had so many. The large majority of the bridges are not deficient. But 14 is a lot.

[Obamanaut]

18. We don't need to spend money on stinking bridges here! Other countries

need that money in their foreign aid benefit package.

We need to use that money to buy bombs and bullets to support the troops in -stan suffix named countries.

:sarcasm:

[OnyxCollie]

19. K&R. nt

[blondeatlast]

21. Possibly the only thing Arizona can brag about. nt

[glinda]

24. Our HWY bridge end washed out last year and collapsed so they rebuilt it.

[Snoutport]

25. kr important stuff!

[Lugnut]

26. We're #1!

PA has 5,906 deficient bridges! 22,773,880 travelers on these bridges are at risk every day! No WPA for you, PA. Dammit.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

27. Congrats?

I was shocked to see how many bad ones there are around mois

[Better Believe It]

28. I wonder if as a nation is the U.S. becoming #1 in bad bridges.

[Pacifist Patriot]

29. Interesting, the two listed in my community have been rennovated over the last year.

[Better Believe It]

30. And they still need more work!

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. I think it more likely they were repaired because they were on that list.

It's possible the list isn't entirely up to date. I remember a similar list coming out shortly after that horrific bridge accident a few years ago. They were on that one so that's probably why they were being repaired.

[LynneSin]

31. Oh good, only bridge near me that was in the Red is being fixed as we speak

Construction is to be completed on the dual bridges in 2012.

[DainBramaged]

32. 23 within 10 miles structurally deficient

and one that 60,000+ and one that 85,000+ cars pass over every day............

[progressoid]

33. There are some problems with that map.

Most of the ones in my area are misnamed or misplaced.

[Better Believe It]

34. Send an alert to them so that they can be corrected if a mistake has been made.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

35. Uh-oh. I drive under this one almost every day.

I90 EB (NW TOLL)

* Crosses ILL 62 (OAKTON ST)
* in Cook County

Structurally deficient

* Built 1958
* National bridge ID 000016997405198
* 64,500 cars per day (avg.)

Ratings

* Deck: 6
* Superstructure: 7
* Substructure: 4

Inspections

* Inspection frequency: 24 months
* Last inspection: July-2009