Many U.S. bridges need urgent repairs

(American Road & Transportation Builders Association photo)

WASHINGTON (April 2, 2015) — Thousands of heavily traveled U.S. bridges are in poor shape, according to an analysis of 2014 Transportation Department data by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

“The good news is that there are over 2,000 fewer structurally deficient structures than there were in 2013,” the ARTBA said in an April 1 press release. “The bad news is that it means more than 61,000 structurally deficient bridges are still in need of significant repair.”

The bad news will get much worse if the Highway Trust Fund is allowed to run dry of funds on May 31 without a new transportation funding bill in place, said ARTBA Chief Economist Alison Premio Black.

The current backlog on transportation projects is more than $115 billion for bridges and $755 billion for highways, Ms. Black said.

“Without additional investment from all levels of government, our infrastructure spending will be a zero-sum game,” she said.

The ARTBA released on March 12 its “Getting Beyond Gridlock” transportation funding proposal, which includes a 15-cent increase in the federal motor fuel tax and rebates for lower- and middle-income taxpayers to offset the higher tax.

The ARTBA has posted a list of America's most structurally deficient bridges on its website.

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