The rapid collapse of a Baltimore bridge struck by a large cargo ship highlighted the importance of bridges in the daily lives of many Americans.
Six construction workers who were on the bridge are presumed dead. Drivers of more than 30,000 vehicles that crossed the bridge daily must find a new route around or over the Patapsco River. And shipping at the Port of Baltimore will be suspended for some time, forcing numerous companies to find alternative ways to transport their goods to and from the United States
Although the Interstate 895 Bridge in Baltimore was in satisfactory condition before the shipping collision, thousands of other bridges across the U.S. are in poor condition due to aging piers, girders and key structural components.
Here are some insights from an Associated Press analysis of the more than 621,000 road bridges longer than 20 feet listed in the federal government's National Bridge Inventory.
THOUSANDS OF BAD BRIDGES
Inspectors rate bridges on a scale of 0 to 9, with 7 or higher considered “good.” A “poor” rating corresponds to a rating of 4 or less for some of the major components of a bridge. A medium rating is considered “fair”.
According to the federal government, about 42,400 U.S. bridges are in poor condition and carry about 167 million vehicles each day. These poor bridges are on average 70 years old.
Of these poor bridges, four-fifths have problems with their substructures (the legs that support them) or their superstructures (the arms that carry their load). And more than 15,800 of the bad bridges were also in poor condition a decade ago, according to ` analysis.
Iowa has the most bad bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri.
Why do bridges collapse?
Although unusual, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was not the first bridge to collapse after being struck by a ship. According to a 2018 report by the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or inland collisions between 1960 and 2015, killing a total of 342 people. Eighteen of these collapses occurred in the United States.
Although it is also rare, bad bridges can simply collapse at some point.
In January 2022, a bridge over Fern Hollow Creek in Pittsburgh collapsed, injuring but not killing the occupants of several vehicles on it. Federal investigators found that the bridge's steel legs had corroded, creating visible holes. But inspectors failed to assess the severity of the problem, and the city failed to follow repeated recommendations.
“This bridge did not simply collapse due to force majeure. “It collapsed because of a lack of maintenance and repair,” said Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
A blow to the economy
When bridges close or collapse, there are financial consequences.
Thirteen people died and 145 others were injured when an Interstate 35 bridge collapsed over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in 2007. A state analysis estimated that Minnesota's economy lost $60 million in 2007-08 due to longer travel times and operating costs for commuters and businesses.
Bridges in Providence, Rhode Island, and Tacoma, Washington are currently closed for safety reasons. Nearby businesses were hit as motorists were diverted to other routes.
Marco Pacheco, who owns a liquor store on a main street in a Portuguese neighborhood of East Providence, said his business sales have dropped 20% since the bridge closed late last year. But he's even more worried about the long-term consequences.
“This traffic isn’t coming back right away. “People have changed their patterns, their thought processes, etc.,” Pacheco said.
Business owners in Washington expressed similar concerns about the indefinite closure of the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge in an industrial area near the Port of Tacoma. A nearby Interstate 5 bridge offers a good alternative, but that means many drivers speed right past an exit without thinking about nearby businesses like a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop.
“Is there a danger?” asked Harley-Davidson shop owner Ed Wallace. “Yes, absolutely, a very serious matter for me as an entrepreneur.”
FEDERAL FINANCING
A massive infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 allocated $40 billion over five years for bridges – the largest targeted bridge investment in decades. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the law already funds over 7,800 bridge projects.
But even that will only represent a decline in the estimated $319 billion in needed bridge repairs across the country, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
“The bottom line is that America’s bridges need a lot of work,” Buttigieg told the ` after a visit to the closed Rhode Island Bridge. He added: “The sooner we can address these significant bridges, the less likely they are to be abruptly taken out of service or, worse, at risk of collapse.”
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