7,980 Questionable Bridges in the USA - Any of them near you?

[McBanagon]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...135192360.html

Mr. LePatner is a New York construction industry lawyer and author of "Too Big To Fall: America's Failing Infrastructure and The Way Forward." (Go to his site, SaveOurBridges.com, and see if there's a collapsing bridge near you. Maybe you pass beneath one on your drive to work or send your children across it in a yellow bus. Send me an email. I would love to hear what you find.)


Mr. LePatner's map is based on bridges the Federal Highway Administration has deemed both "structurally deficient" and "fracture critical." The first category means one or more defects. The second means no redundant system to keep a bridge in place if one of its parts fails.


These perilous bridges haven't been repaired for the same reason that many other things aren't getting fixed, from the economy on down: Politicians are slaves to corporate masters. They get re-elected for funding new off-ramps at new malls in the new parts of towns.

Link to his Google Map
http://saveourbridges.com/map.html

Maybe it's just a project so he can promote his book, but it's interesting nonetheless.

[976-RADD]

Phuck the bridges, we Mars now!

[WakusPakus]

Prospect St & PW RR
Last Updated by tadmor on Jul 24
Built: 1910
National Bridge ID 04031
3,020 cars per day (avg.)



yep. that and the arrigoni in Middletown, CT. It's been under construction for over a year - it was as bad as the Tappan Zee - you could see the river from under your tires. Now i just boat under it and hope that a car wont flatten my boat.

edit: Q bridge too - new haven. but 1/2 is new...not bad, but if you're heading southbound it will blow your suspension out.

[driggity]

Well, his list is at least 2 too high. There is a bridge in Seattle that has been closed for a couple years that he is counting as two bridges. I guess it is technically dangerous because a large portion of the bridge is missing and there are barricades that you would crash into if you tried to cross it, but I don't think that fits what he is claiming. On Google maps the road is listed as planned and you can see that the middle span is not there.

[Egz]

I'm surprised the bridge by where I work isn't listed. That thing is in dire need of an expansion, and has been around for eons.

[Honda4VW]

Almost all the ones shown in my area are currently being repaired or replaced.

[cryption]

There was a show on History or Discovery where a guy went around and showed the weak points in the country's infrastructure and how we need to rebuilt it.

That show didn't last long .... and was extremely accurate and informative.

[911_fan]

No surprise here...

Wood St & Merrimack River
Last Updated by tadmor on Jul 25
Built: 1983
National Bridge ID L150882M4MHDNB
31,400 cars per day (avg.)

6847

Middlesex County, MA

I remember when this was erected back in '83 as a temporary bridge to alleviate traffic while another bridge further up the river was being worked on. Was never meant to be permanent, but people got used to driving over it, so it stayed. Then it was supposed to get replaced in '98. That bridge is scary as F to look at, never mind drive over!

[dwagner88]

Wow. Apparently engineers in the Carolina's do a better job than those elsewhere. Either that or they have lazy bridge inspectors.

[2.0T_Convert]

His map calls onramps in Hartford build in 1965 as bad with a purple icon (whatever that means)

Meanwhile the 100+ year old bulkeley bridge which carries I-84 over the river is perfectly sound according to his map.

[Doedrums]

Nothing near me.

[seadoo2006]

Yup ...

[surefooted]

I'm good on this...

[magz0r]

Minnesota? Check.

Failing local infrastructure, including the infamous 35W bridge collapse that killed 13 almost exactly 5 years ago today? Check.

A bridge on the list within ten miles of me? Check.

Chalk me up under, "Not surprised."

[Air and water do mix]

The Sherman Minton bridge (From Louisville to New Albany, IN) is on the list, but just went through a major upgrade, so I hope that information is simply out-of-date. It got tons of structural steel added to it and was down for several months. That left only ONE interstate bridge in the area and one local bridge to back it up. It was a mess. I can't imagine what it would have been like if it had been out of commission for years. Fortunately, they're prepping for two new bridges, so that should alleviate things.

[DoDoubleGeo]

I drive over two on my daily 4 mile commute. No surprise though - one is a steel deck lift bridge and the other rumbles (hate getting stopped at a red light at this one).

[cryption]

Interstate 10 & Trinity River
Last Updated by tadmor on Jul 25
Built: 1955
National Bridge ID 200360050802048
47,740 cars per day (avg.)

16745

Chambers County, TX

[InfinitiG]

Minnesota? Check.

Failing local infrastructure, including the infamous 35W bridge collapse that killed 13 almost exactly 5 years ago today? Check.

A bridge on the list within ten miles of me? Check.

Chalk me up under, "Not surprised."

The 94 bridge freaks me out too, I'm within 10 miles of that as well and who knows how many times I've used that bridge going to St. Paul and back.

[will951]

Prospect St & PW RR
Last Updated by tadmor on Jul 24
Built: 1910
National Bridge ID 04031
3,020 cars per day (avg.)


yep. that and the arrigoni in Middletown, CT. It's been under construction for over a year - it was as bad as the Tappan Zee - you could see the river from under your tires. Now i just boat under it and hope that a car wont flatten my boat.

You are veeeeery close to me. Haha.

[MK5golf]

Im not sure how you mericans are doing down there but generally I hear road construction (especially quality of roads) is much better than up here (IE Only the wonderful province which I happen to inhabit, quebec )
Weve had overpasses colapse and kill people (seriously) and highways that go through tunnels (the ville marie expressway... the highway goes "under" the downtown core) have huge slabs of concrete falling down off of them.
Theres this bridge that links the island of montreal to the south shore. Its called the mercier bridge. the rust is so bad that at some points you can see the water beneath you. Its still open to the public (albeit only one way traffic and its apperantly undergoing "extensive" renovations)
Dont even get me started with the potholes
I hear that there are plenty of bridges and passages that the romans built thousands of years ago that are still doing their jobs just fine

[sortadelux]

I wonder how long ago this list was compiled. I know most of the bridges listed in my area but only suspected a few of them. A few of then I drive weekly. One that I expected to see but didn't is the Murray Morgan bridge in down town Tacoma. It was built in 1913 and closed to vehicle traffic in 2007. Up untill recently you could still access it on foot and look THROUGH the asphalt deck to the waterway below. That and it had more greenery growing on it than my lawn. They started a rehab project on it early in 2011 and its slated to re-open december this year.

[jmj]

Water St & Eel Pond
Last Updated by tadmor on Jul 27
Built: 1940
National Bridge ID F0300543EMUNNBI
5,280 cars per day (avg.)

6801

Barnstable County, MA

This is the only one in my county. It's small, but it's right on the main drag in Woods Hole. And it's a drawbridge.

[Chmeeee]

This is what happens when everybody is terrified of increasing gas taxes. The federal gas tax has not increased in 19 years. Meanwhile, inflation during that same time is about 60%, and more like 150% for construction costs.

[pete@blackforest]

Wow. Apparently engineers in the Carolina's do a better job than those elsewhere. Either that or they have lazy bridge inspectors.

I grew up in Metro Detroit and now reside in Raleigh, NC.
I was surprised to find hardly anything listed in Metro Detroit because the roads SUCK.
However, I was not surprised when looking at NC. The roads down here are well taken care of.
Either that or I'm just used to awful roads growing up in Michigan.

[jmj]

This is what happens when everybody is terrified of increasing gas taxes. The federal gas tax has not increased in 19 years. Meanwhile, inflation during that same time is about 60%, and more like 150% for construction costs.

But, but....the JOB CREATORZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!

[Omnilith]

I'm actually shocked to see so few bridges near me listed.

[That1njguy]

There are 4 or 5 near me. Thankfully none of them are major bridges. I know they have been targeted for repair or replacement.

[surefooted]

Part of the problem is that there are too many roads and bridges in the US for the population to adequately support the repair via taxes and such. And no, just saying raise taxes on the rich doesn't work.

[ILL02GTI]

His list is out dated by a couple years. Two bridges near me have already been replaced and a third is under construction now.

[simple]

His list is out dated by a couple years. Two bridges near me have already been replaced and a third is under construction now.

Why the thumbdown?

I give it a as these type of bridges are being repaired or replaced all over the country. It was an initiative that was pushed by ASCE (and other groups) for years and wasn't made a priority.

$36 Billion to Department of Transportation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act so far.

[leaftye]

Part of the problem is that there are too many roads and bridges in the US for the population to adequately support the repair via taxes and such. And no, just saying raise taxes on the rich doesn't work.

That's because projects are often started even though there's no budget plan for maintenance.

[Broduski]

Wow. Apparently engineers in the Carolina's do a better job than those elsewhere. Either that or they have lazy bridge inspectors.

The roads here are actually pretty decent, I'm not surprised.

[classicjetta]

Most all the poor bridges around here are in rural out of the way places and carry small traffic volumes.


Asheville Pike & CSX, NS RR
Last Updated by tadmor on Jul 24
Built: 1927
National Bridge ID 6540139
100 cars per day (avg.)

14131

Pickaway County, OH

The one bridge that does worry me is the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge that carries I-71 over the Little Miami River Gorge. It's an identical design to the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis but is currently being replaced.

[jmj]

Part of the problem is that there are too many roads and bridges in the US for the population to adequately support the repair via taxes and such. And no, just saying raise taxes on the rich doesn't work.

If only there was some superhuge government program that we could scale way back and use the money for infrastructure............

[tbvvw]

The roads here are actually pretty decent, I'm not surprised.

Agreed. I live on the NC/SC border south of Charlotte and the main roads and bridges are in pretty good shape. I-77 in SC from the NC border to south of Rock Hill SC is one of the nicest 6 lanes of blacktop anywhere. They spared no expense in building/paving that.

There is a bridge on the list in MD that I used to think was in dire need of being closed/rebuilt when I'd bike over it...and that was 25 yrs ago.