'Structurally Deficient' Bridges Near Bolingbrook

Update 9:54 a.m. 

Of the three bridges listed below, two have undergone recent construction. The Weber Road bridge was replaced in 2011, and the 75th Street bridge was replaced in 2012, according to Michael Drey, director of public works for the village of Bolingbrook. 

The Schmidt Road bridge is out for bid and will be replaced this summer, Drey said. 

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There are 16 bridges within 10 miles of Bolingbrook that are rated “structurally deficient,” according to a Transportation for America report.

Check out an interactive map to find the deficient bridges within 10 miles of Bolingbrook. 

A bridge is rated on its third components: deck, superstructure and substructure. If any of these three components received a score of a 4 out of 10, it is rated "structurally deficient." 

The bridge-safety issue was brought to light during President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address. Obama called for a “Fix It First” program to address crumbling infrastructure he says must be fixed now to create jobs to the United States.

Illinois ranks 35th among the 50 states, with 8.5 percent of its bridges ranked structurally deficient.

National attention to the issue of bridge safety was ignited in 2007 after the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota.

The report also cites what it calls a “transit funding crisis” that will become more acute over time. Of the nation’s 600,000 bridges, 383,060 will be more than 50 years old by 2030, the report states.

3 Nearby Structurally Deficient Bridges

Schmidt Road 

• Crosses Lily Cache Creek 

• in Will County

• 6,200 cars per day (average)

Weber Road 

• Crosses the East Branch of the DuPage River

• in Will County

• Built 1982

• 15,650 cars per day (average) 

75th Street 

• Crosses the East Branch of the DuPage River 

• Built 1960

• 31,800 cars per day (average) 

Contributing: Ted Schnell