After the Pennsylvania state legislature failed to approve a plan to raise new money for bridge and road repairs, the state Department of Transportation says it will put lower weight limits on some of the state's bridges to try to extend their useful life.

Some of these weight limits may result in heavy trucks not being able to use the bridges. PennDOT says keeping heavy vehicles off a bridge can slow a bridge's deterioration.

Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch warned that restrictions likely would be imposed this year, and eventually could affect as many as 1,120 bridges.

With 25,000 state owned bridges, Pennsylvania has the third-largest number of bridges in the nation, but the state leads the nation in the number of bridges classified as “structurally deficient.” The average age of bridges on the state system is over 50 years old.

A list of the bridges being scrutinized is available at the "Bridge Information" page at PennDOT's website.

0 Comments