New York Has 1,800 Structurally Deficient Bridges: Report

NEW YORK, NY — New Yorkers cross 1,837 bridges that are deemed structurally deficient and which would cost $67.7 billion to fix, according to a new report by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

Among the spans in dire need of repair is the Brooklyn Bridge.

Across the country, 54,259 bridges were rated structurally deficient – and they're crossed 174 million times a day, the report said.

Inspectors rate bridge decks and support structures on a scale of zero to nine for deterioration and remedial action. A rating of nine means the bridge is in “excellent” condition. A rating of four or below means a bridge is classified as structurally deficient and in need of repair.

New York ranked 14th in the country for the percentage of bridges deemed to be in poor condition and 10th highest based on the actual number of such bridges.

The number in New York accounts for 10.5 percent of all bridges in the state.

New York City is home to 22 of the 25 most-traveled structurally deficient bridges in the state. Nine are in Brooklyn, six are in the Bronx, four are in Queens and three are in Manhattan.

The iconic Brooklyn Bridge, crossed more than 135,000 times a day, ranks 10th. At the top of the list is a stretch of the Belt Parkway over Mill Basin in Brooklyn that's crossed more than 165,000 times a day.

The list includes the old Kosciuszko Bridge at No. 5. Since the research was done, it was closed to cars last April and demolished in October after the first span of a replacement bridge opened.

All but 19 of New York State's 17,456 bridges are slated for repairs, the report says. That includes widening and rehabilitation for 14,600 bridges at a cost of more than $40 billion. Some 25 bridges are set to be replaced for more than $193 million.

In 21 states nationwide, at least 9 percent of bridges were rated structurally deficient, the analysis found. If placed end-to-end, the number of such bridges could stretch more than 1,200 miles — nearly the distance between Miami and New York City.

On average, those bridges were built 67 years ago, when Harry Truman was president. Non-deficient bridges were 27 years younger on average.

Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and New York have the most structurally deficient bridges, the analysis found.

The Federal Highway Administration told NBC News in a statement, that the report "underscores the need for investment in our nation's infrastructure."

"It also highlights the importance of streamlining the permitting process, so that the projects that are funded can move forward without undue delay," the agency said.

The road and transportation group that conducted the analysis is a non-partisan federation that aims to "aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment" in order to meet demand for safe and efficient travel.

Alison Premo Black, chief economist for the group, said in a release that it would take 37 years to remedy every bridge at the current pace of repair or replacement. An infrastructure package aimed at modernizing the interstate system would benefit the economy both in the short and long term, she said.

Traffic bottlenecks cost the trucking industry alone more than $60 billion a year in lost productivity and fuel. That “increases the cost of everything we make, buy or export," she said.

During his campaign, President Donald Trump pledged to spend $1 trillion to rebuild America's roads and bridges.

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