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Thetrucker.com THE NATION
SEPTEMBER 2023 • 3
36% of US bridges require major repairs or replacement, report says
THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF
WASHINGTON — Motorists in the U.S.
cross the nation’s 617,000 bridges an average
of 167 million times each day, according
to a report released by the American Road
& Transportation Builders Association
(ARTBA).
Of those 617,000 bridges, 36% — that’s
about 222,000 structures — need major repair
work or should be replaced, ARTBA says.
That’s one out of every three bridges. These
statements are based on the group’s analysis
of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s
(USDOT) 2023 National Bridge Inventory
(NBI) database.
If placed end to end, these bridges would
stretch more than 6,100 miles. Traveling at
a speed of 55 mph, nonstop, it would take a
driver more than 110 hours — more than 4.5
days — to cross, according to Alison Premo
Black, chief economist for ARTBA.
Black, who conducted the analysis,
calculates the cost of making all needed
repairs to the nation’s bridges at more than
$319 billion.
States currently have access to $10.6
billion from the 2021 federal Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) bridge
formula funds, which could help make
needed repairs, with another $15.9 billion to
be available in the next three years.
As the end of fiscal year 2023 approaches
on Sept. 30, states have committed $3.2
billion (30%) of available bridge formula
funds to 2,060 different bridge projects, with
$7.4 billion still coming.
Eight states have committed more than
two-thirds of their available bridge formula
funds: Idaho (100%), Georgia (100%),
Alabama (97%), Arizona (88%), Indiana
(81.5%), Florida (80%), Texas (78%) and
Arkansas (68%).
“The good news is that states are
beginning to employ these new resources
to address long-overdue bridge needs,” said
Dave Bauer, president and CEO of ARTBA.
“The better news is that more improvements
are on the way.”
As of June 30, ARTBA says, 31 states have
committed less than 33% of their available
bridge formula funds. States have four
years to commit formula bridge program
funds for specific projects, giving them
additional flexibility to decide when to make
investments.
In total, $3.2 billion (30%) of the $10.6
billion in available Federal Bridge Formula
Funds have been earmarked for 2,060 bridge
projects.
“Most bridges are inspected every
two years, so it takes time for repairs and
rehabilitation efforts to show up in the
annual federal data,” Black said. “What we
do know now from other market indicators
is that there are more bridge projects in the
pipeline.”
According to the USDOT’s 2023 report,
Linda Garner-Bunch/The Trucker
According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, one out of every three of the nation’s
617,000 bridges is in need of either major repair or replacement.
the number of bridges in poor condition
declined by 560 compared to 2022. At the
current pace, it would take 75 years to repair
them all.
Over the past five years, the share of
bridges in fair condition has continued to
grow. In 2023, nearly half of all U.S. bridges
(48.9%) were rated in fair condition.
ARTBA’s full report, which includes
state-by-state rankings, is available at
artbabridgereport.org. 8
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