Many Bridges Inadequate
An Associated Press analysis of federal statistics shows 29 percent of the nation's bridges are rated "deficient.
An Associated Press analysis of federal statistics shows 29 percent of the nation's bridges are rated "deficient."
The Federal Highway Administration records show a slight improvement from four years earlier, when 31 percent were rated deficient. "Deficient" means the bridges need repairs, or are too narrow or weak to handle the traffic. Few deficient bridges are actually in danger of collapsing.
In Denver, softball-sized chunks of concrete often break off the Interstate 70 viaduct near the city's coliseum, reported the AP. And in Louisiana, a bridge over Thompsons Creek was put back in place, rather than being rebuilt, after floodwaters washed it away, resulting in lower truck weight limits for the bridge.
Three states - Hawaii, Rhode Island and Massachusetts - as well as the District of Columbia, report more than half of their bridges are rated as deficient. The states with the smallest percentage of deficient bridges are Arizona (10%), Nevada (15%), Minnesota (15%), Delaware (16%), New Mexico (18%) and Idaho (19%).
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