|
Federal law mandates the uniform inspection of all bridges for structural and functional adequacy at least every two years; bridges rated ‘deficient’ are eligible for federal repair dollars.
The condition of the nation's highway bridges continued to improve from 2004 to 2005. Of the 596,980 highway bridges in the current National Bridge Inventory, 147,913—about 24.52 percent—were reported deficient for 2005 (see table), a slight improvement from 2004. In 1998 about 29.0 percent were rated deficient. However, progress is slow; at the current rate of improvement, it would take 50 years for the percentage of deficient bridges to be eliminated.
The states vary widely in the percentage of deficient bridges. Nevada reported the lowest percentage of deficient bridges, 3.89 percent, while Rhode Island reported the highest, 53.01 percent.
| Deficient Bridges |
| Rank |
State |
% Deficient |
|
1
|
Nevada
|
3.89
|
|
2
|
Arizona
|
5.5
|
|
3
|
Wyoming
|
12.37
|
|
4
|
Colorado
|
12.96
|
|
5
|
Minnesota
|
13.16
|
|
6
|
Wisconsin
|
15.93
|
|
7
|
Delaware
|
16.55
|
|
8
|
Utah
|
17.55
|
|
9
|
Illinois
|
17.56
|
|
10
|
California
|
17.59
|
|
11
|
Florida
|
18.33
|
|
12
|
New Mexico
|
18.43
|
|
13
|
Idaho
|
18.91
|
|
14
|
Tennessee
|
19.26
|
|
15
|
Georgia |
20.35
|
|
16
|
Texas
|
20.56
|
|
17
|
Kansas
|
21.05
|
|
18
|
Montana
|
21.2
|
|
19
|
Indiana
|
21.83
|
|
20
|
Arkansas
|
22.24
|
|
21
|
Virginia
|
22.46
|
|
22
|
Alaska
|
22.84
|
|
23
|
Ohio
|
23.61
|
|
24
|
South Carolina
|
23.63
|
|
25
|
North Dakota
|
24.24
|
|
26
|
Nebraska
|
24.55
|
|
27
|
Washington
|
24.55
|
|
28
|
Alabama
|
24.94
|
|
29
|
Oregon
|
25.34
|
|
30
|
South Dakota
|
25.62
|
|
31
|
Mississippi
|
26.42
|
|
32
|
Maryland
|
26.93
|
|
33
|
Iowa
|
27.06
|
|
34
|
Michigan
|
27.9
|
|
35
|
New Jersey
|
27.91
|
|
36
|
Maine
|
29.87
|
|
37
|
New Hampshire
|
30.54
|
|
38
|
Louisiana
|
30.67
|
| 39 |
North Carolina |
30.91 |
| 40 |
Kentucky |
31.45 |
| 41 |
Missouri |
31.47 |
| 42 |
Oklahoma |
33.04 |
| 43 |
Connecticut |
34.18 |
| 44 |
Vermont |
34.8 |
| 45 |
Massachusetts |
36.38 |
| 46 |
Hawaiii |
36.85 |
| 47 |
New York |
37.08 |
| 48 |
West Virginia |
37.1 |
| 49 |
Pennsylvania |
39 |
| 50 |
Rhode Island |
53.01 |
| |
Mean |
24.52 |
17th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984–2006)
» Press Release
» Full Study (.pdf)
» Map, Tables, and More Materials from this Study
Leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
» News Release
» Full Policy Brief (.pdf)
Pennsylvania Turnpike Alternatives: A Review and Critique of the Democratic Caucus Study
» News Release
» Full Policy Brief (.pdf)
Missouri's Changing Transportation Paradigm
» Full Report (.pdf)
» Policy Summary (.pdf)
Miami Toll Truckway: Preliminary Feasibility Study
» Full Text (.pdf)
Raising Gas Taxes Won't Fix Our Bridges
» Full Text (.pdf)
Why Mobility Matters to Personal Life
» Full Brief (.pdf)
16th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984–2005)
» Press Release
» Full Study (.pdf)
» Map, Tables, and More Materials from this Study
The Role of Tolls in Financing 21st Century Highways
» Full Study (.pdf)
» Policy Summary (.pdf)
» Press Release
Building New Roads Through Public-Private Partnerships: Frequently Asked Questions
» Full Brief (.pdf)
More Transportation Studies
CalPERS Funds Could Reduce California's Congestion Crisis
» Full Text
Cars Disproportionately Blamed for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
» Full Text
Earmarks Aren't Helping Congress or the Taxpayers
» Full Text
Should We Privatize Toll Roads?
» Full Text
A National Infrastructure Bank?
» Full Text
California's High-Speed Rail Plan Wildly Overestimates Ridership Numbers
» Full Text
Public-Private Partnerships in Transportation
» Full Text
No New Taxes and Building Roads in Virginia
» Full Text
Gas Tax Increase or Private Capital?
» Full Text
More Transportation Commentaries
|
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.