Hundreds of Bridges Across US Facing Fracture Concerns

As the United States' aging bridge infrastructure continues to deteriorate, safety concerns grow, with hundreds of bridges on the edge of structural failure. Thus, urgent action is imperative to mitigate these risks and prevent potential bridge collapses.

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Fracture Critical Bridge Across US

Concerns about the stability of other bridges around the country have been sparked due to the speed and intensity that occurred when the Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed into the Patapsco River last March. Using information from the Federal Highway Administration, Jennifer Homendy, the National Transportation Safety Board chair, stated that out of about 615,000 bridges in the United States, 17,468 are considered fracture-critical. She added that the Key Bridge had not been fracture-inspected since May 2023 and was in satisfactory condition.

The bridge's public opening occurred in 1977 after construction commenced in 1972. According to Homendy, an average daily of 30,767 cars traversed the bridge. The bridge was made up of three spans that added up to a total length of 9,090 feet.

On the other hand, Bloomberg's investigation revealed that over 300 bridges are categorized as being in bad condition, with at least one of the structural components of bridges displaying significant defects. Accordingly, the roadway is supported by either the superstructure, which bears the burden of passing through, the substructure, which provides support from below, or both.

Moreover, recent inspection reports indicate that all three segments of 14 bridges are deemed to be in hazardous or poor condition. They reportedly manage an average of 10,000 or more vehicle excursions of seven structures daily. Every single one of them was constructed prior to the year 1970, and some of them are even older than a century. In addition, the Calcasieu River Bridge, inspected in December 2022 and received a score of three out of nine for all of its structural components, was found to be the busiest bridge, according to Bloomberg's investigation.

Based on the federal classification guide, this indicates that all of them are in critical condition, as deterioration has significantly harmed major structural components and may lead to local collapses. Therefore, a report from an inspector is optional to conclude that this bridge could benefit from being replaced.

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Worth of Backlog Repairs on US Bridges

Highway bridges in the United States are inspected at least once every two years, during which they are rated as 'good,' 'fair,' or 'poor.' When a bridge is discovered to be in bad condition, several structural components are in a state of advanced deterioration. The American Society of Civil Engineers' most recent infrastructure report card, published in 2021, indicates that 7.5% of all bridges in the region are classified as structurally weak and in poor condition. Furthermore, 178 million travelers traverse these bridges with structural flaws daily.

The organization says that although bridges with structural deficiencies are not intrinsically dangerous, they still require a significant amount of investment to repair. These individuals are more likely to be subject to closures or weight limits. Fortunately, the number of bridges with structural deficiencies has declined in recent years. However, the rate of expenditure on upgrades has slowed down, which is a negative development. The backlog of bridge restorations in the United States is estimated to be worth $125 billion.

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