Better Roads

November 2013

Better Roads Digital Magazine

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2013 Bridge Inventory of 2,950) and Iowa at 9 percent (374 of 4,119). In terms of total city/county/township bridges that are SD/FO, Maryland has 32 percent (728 of 2,292), with Iowa and Missouri ranking at 28 percent (3,936 of 13,951 bridges in Missouri and 5,729 of 20,242 bridges in Iowa). New Jersey has the fewest SD/FO total city/county township bridges of this group, with 27 percent (1,106 of 4,145 meeting this classification). Michigan and South Dakota are also tied at 24 percent for the number of combined total SD/FO bridges. Michigan has 2,586 of its 10,944 bridges considered SD/FO. South Dakota has 1,410 of its total 5,771 bridges considered as SD/FO. Although the overall percentage of SD/FO is the same, the two states greatly differ when it comes to total interstate and state SD/FO bridges. Michigan's rate is 21 percent (918 of 4,425) and South Dakota's is 10 percent (177 of 1,796 total interstate and state bridges.) However, total city/county/township bridges aren't too different percentage-wise, with South Dakota having 31 percent (1,233 of 3,975) of its total city/ county/township bridges considered SD/FO and Michigan coming in five percentage points less at 26 percent (1,668 or 6,519) of these bridges being SD/FO. Continuing in the group percentage trend is Nebraska, Oklahoma and Virginia with 23 percent of each state's bridges being classified as SD/FO. Nebraska has 15,086 bridges and 3,456 are considered SD/FO. Oklahoma has 22,876 total bridges and 5,344 are SD/FO. Virginia has 20,983 total bridges, 4,881 of which are SD/FO. Virginia has highest percentage of interstate and state bridges of this group of states at 22 percent (4,349 of 19,343), followed by Oklahoma at 14 percent (1,108 or 7,664) then Nebraska (247 of 3,521 considered as SD/FO). The numbers are also fairly similar in terms of total SD/FO total city/county/ township bridges with Virginia having a rate of 32 percent (532 of 1,640). This is followed by Nebraska and Oklahoma, which both have a 28 percent (4,236 of 15,212 for Oklahoma, 3,209 of 11,565 of Nebraska total city/county/ township bridges) rate of total city/county township bridges that are SD/FO. Alaska and Oregon both have a 22 percent rate of a combined total SD/FO bridges. Alaska has 983 bridges, 214 of which are SD/FO. Oregon has 6,747 bridges, and 1,487 are considered SD/FO. There is a six percent different between the two states for the rate of total interstate and state bridges that are SD/FO. Twenty-six percent (705 of 2,714) of Oregon's total interstate and state bridges are SD/FO, compared to Alaska's 20 percent (164 of 830) of SD/FO bridges. When it comes to total city/county/township bridges that are SD/FO, Alaska ranks higher than Oregon with 33 percent of these bridges (50 of 153 for Alaska) classified as SD/FO. Oregon's percentage of total city/county/township bridges is 19 percent (783 of 4,033) Alabama ranks almost right in the middle of the nation's percentage of SD/FO bridges at 21 percent of its total bridges rated as SD/FO. It comes in at No. 27, but the next four states – Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio and South Carolina – also rank at that same percentage, 21 percent, with the total number of combined total SD/FO bridges. Arkansas, Delaware and North Dakota, Nos. 32 through 34 in terms of the highest percentage of total SD/FO bridges, these states are all at 19 percent, again with the number of total interstate/state and total city/county/township percentage of SD/FO bridges differing. Eric J. Christie, assistant state maintenance engineer of bridges for the Alabama Department of Transportation, says that like many other states funding availability is one of the greatest challenges in lowering the state rate of total combined SD/FO bridges, but the use of bonds has been approved to target the replacement of deficient county and municipal bridges, which will allow the state to lower its overall rate of total combined SD/FO bridges (21 percent). Nos. 36 and 37 on the list, Georgia and Idaho, have 18 percent of their total SD/FO bridges considered as SD/FO. Kansas and Texas are at 17 percent for total SD/FO bridges, followed by Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Montana and Tennessee all at 16 percent of combined total SD/FO bridges. New Mexico comes in at 15 percent of total combined SD/ FO bridges, followed by Wisconsin at 14 percent and Minnesota and Wyoming at 13 percent. Arizona, Utah and Nevada are all at 11 percent of total combined SD/FO bridges and California is at 6 percent. However, it must be noted in reporting its data to Better Roads, functionally obsolete bridges were not included. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) noted, "The federal classification of functionally obsolete was eliminated with the passage of MAP-21 and is no longer reported." Despite FO bridges not being included, the numbers are still a good sign. "Aggressive bridge preservation efforts have allowed us to begin to lower the number of structurally deficient bridges," notes Michael B. Johnson, P.E., chief of specialty investigations and bridge management for Caltrans. Overall, the nation's percent of SD/FO bridges has slowly and steadily fallen, but the main obstacle to better bridges remains funding. For past "Better Bridges" reports, visit BetterBridges.com. Better Roads November 2013 13

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