Connecticut League of Conservation Voters: Connecticut’s Bridges: Are Yours Safe?

If being stuck in traffic atop a bridge has ever made you shudder, Transportation for America’s new report on the condition of our nation’s bridges assures that your fears are not necessarily exaggerated.

The Fix We’re In: The State of Our Nation’s Bridges is one report you’re going to want to look at. And you might want to plot a detour for your daily commute after entering your address at http://t4america.org/resources/bridges/ to see which bridges near you are structurally deficient. (Scroll down below for maps of structurally deficient bridges in the Hartford and Stamford areas. Quick tip: red bridge = bad.)

“The Fix We’re In” finds that 69,223 bridges – representing more than 11 percent of all U.S. highway bridges – are classified as “structurally deficient,” requiring significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement. The report also features an interactive online map allowing readers to see all the bridges, including structurally deficient bridges, within a ten-mile radius of any US address that is entered. Structurally deficient bridges appear as red icons. Clicking on any bridge provides more details on it, including its safety rating.

4.5 Million Trips Per Day Made Across Connecticut’s Deficient Bridges
Pennsylvania ranked first as the state with the greatest percentage of structurally deficient bridges, and Nevada ranked last as the state with the lowest such percentage. California, however, ranks first as the state with the most daily traffic traveling over structurally deficient bridges, at a total of 82.6 million trips per day.

While Connecticut’s 32nd place rank in the bad bridges category is not bad compared to other states, that’s not saying much. As of 2010, 9.2% (383) of Connecticut’s 4,182 highway bridges were structurally deficient. Relatively speaking that may not seem so bad, except that those structurally deficient bridges carry a total of almost 4.5 million vehicles every day – one of which might be yours.

Investments in Bridge Upkeep
Connecticut’s record for investing its federal transportation funds on bridge upkeep is also not bad in comparison to other states’ records. In 2008, all states spent $8.1 billion of federal funds
on repair and rehabilitation of bridges, or about 13 percent of total funds. In 2008, Connecticut
spent $111 million, or 21.0 percent of total federal funds, on bridge upkeep.

Sealing the Case for “Fix it First”

“Fix it First” is an approach that invests in infrastructure repair and preventive maintenance before building new roads or expanding existing roads. The theory is that if you can’t afford to fix what you have, you have no business building more of what you can’t maintain.

Moreover, most bridges are designed to last for 50 years. According to the Transportation for America report, 1775 of Connecticut’s 4182 bridges are more than 50 years old, with the average age of Connecticut’s bridges at 47.2 years.

Connecticut’s rank among other states notwithstanding, the vast numbers of people traveling over the state’s deficient bridges every day combined with the number of its bridges nearing the end of their 50-year lifespan, make an indisputable case for adopting a much more robust “Fix it First” approach to managing the state’s infrastructure.

Tell your US Senators and Congressmen and women, and tell your state legislators that after decades of deferring maintenance on our bridges, it’s time to pay the piper: safe bridges are essential.

Two Examples: Structurally Deficient Bridges in Stamford and Hartford Areas

Fairfield County is home to the greatest percentage of Connecticut’s structurally deficient bridges, a fact that is explained—and compounded—by high traffic volume, with nearly 1.4 million vehicles traveling over structurally deficient bridges each day.