Interactive Map: New Jersey’s Deficient Bridges

One in four New Jersey bridges is in poor condition or inadequate to handle modern traffic loads, according to an analysis of National Bridge Inventory data.

Of almost 6,600 bridges included in the 2012 inventory, 9.3 percent were rated structurally deficient, meaning they are in deteriorated condition or the waterway opening under the bridge is insufficient. Another 16.3 percent are considered functionally obsolete, indicating they do not meet current standards for lane and shoulder widths or vertical clearances or they occasionally flood. These ratings do not mean the bridges are unsafe, according to federal highway officials, but that they need rehabilitation, repair or replacement.

The condition of the state’s bridges was one of several infrastructure needs highlighted by the Facing Our Future report issued earlier this week. According to an open letter at the beginning of the report, “Year after year, administration after administration, New Jersey has deferred investment in its utilities systems, roads and bridges, public transportation and water supply systems – and those systems have decayed.”

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