Structurally Deficient Bridges: 1,334 Found In Ohio: Report

OHIO — Less than a month removed from a bridge collapse in neighboring Pittsburgh, nearly 5 percent of all Ohio bridges were deemed "structurally deficient" in a new report.

The report found that 1,334 bridges (4.9 percent of all Ohio bridges) are currently structurally deficient. That number is actually down from 2017, when 1,598 bridges graded poorly, according to the report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. The report is based on data downloaded Jan. 3.

Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation announced plans to repair thousands of bridges across the U.S., including more than 1,300 in Ohio. As part of the plan, Ohio will receive a total of $96.7 million in the current fiscal year and $483.3 million over five years.

A bridge is classified as structurally deficient if the deck, superstructure or substructure are in poor condition, or if the culvert below it is in poor condition, according to government definitions.

Earlier this year, the Transportation Department targeted about 15,000 crumbling bridges for repair in a five-year, $27 billion program — the largest dedicated bridge investment in U.S. history since the interstate highway system was authorized in the 1950s.

The condition of the nation’s bridges was spectacularly illustrated with the Pittsburgh bridge collapse in January. The same day, President Joe Biden visited the area to tout his $1 trillion infrastructure program and dedicated funding to fix bridges.

Ten people were hurt when a bridge over Frick Park near Pittsburgh collapsed on Jan. 28. The bridge was rated as being in "poor condition" for nearly a decade before the collapse.

This is the eighth year the road and bridge contractors group has compiled the inventory of crumbling bridges. It’s based on reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation by the agency’s state counterparts for inclusion in the National Bridge Inventory.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association is a lobbying group whose 28 political action committees gave more than $2.6 million to political candidates in 2019-2020, including about $518,270 to Democrats and $2.15 million to Republicans, according to OpenSecrets.org.