Crumbling VA, DC Bridges Finally Getting Repaired

VIRGINIA — About 15,000 bridges in poor condition, including 577 in Virginia, are targeted for repair and improvement under a five-year, $27 billion program announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The administration is releasing nearly $5.5 billion to states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and tribes this fiscal year to fund the program, which the administration said is “the single largest dedicated bridge investment” since the interstate highway system was authorized in the 1950s.

Virginia will receive a total of $107.4 million in the current fiscal year and $536.8 million over five years.

The District of Columbia has eight bridges in poor condition and will receive a total of $45 million in the current fiscal year and $225 million over five years.

Bridges in Virginia listed in poor condition include:

Stafford County: built in 1963, 67,379 daily crossings, urban interstate, southbound lanes Rte. I-95 over Rte. 17

Alexandria: built in 1969, 55,619 daily crossings, urban other principal arterial, Duke Street over Route I-395

Fairfax County: built in 1980, 53,529 daily crossings, urban other principal arterial,Centreville Road over Bull Run

Alexandria: built in 1970, 42,587 daily crossings, urban other principal arterial, King Street over Route I-395; Ramps C&G

Fairfax County: built in 1964; 32,553 daily crossings; urban interstate; I-66 (Ramp F) over Difficult Run

Fairfax County: built in 1964; 30,921 daily crossings; urban other principal arterial; Lee Jackson Mem Hy over I-66 (Ramp B)

Stafford County: built in 1971; 30,163 daily crossings; urban minor arterial; Route 03 over CSX Railroad

Fairfax County: built in 1947; 28,370 daily crossings; urban other principal arterial; Leesburg Pike WB over Sugarland Run

Fredericksburg: built in 1945; 26,670 daily crossings; urban other principal arterial; Jeff. Davis Bypass over Old Rappahannock Canal

Here's how the VA bridges are described:

• Of the 13,963 bridges in the state, 577, or 4.1 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. This means one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition.
• This is down from 881 bridges classified as structurally deficient in 2016.
• The deck area of structurally deficient bridges accounts for 3.4 percent of total deck area on all structures.
• 22 of the structurally deficient bridges are on the Interstate Highway System. A total of 83.7 percent of the structurally deficient bridges are not on the National Highway System, which includes the Interstate and other key roads linking major airports, ports, rail and truck terminals.
• 1,038 bridges are posted for load, which may restrict the size and weight of vehicles crossing the structure.
• The state has identified needed repairs on 6,395 bridges at an estimated cost of $10.2 billion.
• This compares to 6,653 bridges that needed work in 2016.

Bridges in DC listed in poor condition include:

• Of the 243 bridges in the district, 8, or 3.3 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. This means one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition.
• This is down from 9 bridges classified as structurally deficient in 2016.
• The deck area of structurally deficient bridges accounts for 9.5 percent of total deck area on all structures.
• 2 of the structurally deficient bridges are on the Interstate Highway System. A total of 12.5 percent of the structurally deficient bridges are not on the National Highway System, which includes the Interstate and other key roads linking major airports, ports, rail and truck terminals.
• 4 bridges are posted for load, which may restrict the size and weight of vehicles crossing the structure.
• The state has identified needed repairs on 126 bridges at an estimated cost of $996.9 million.
• This compares to 120 bridges that needed work in 2016.

The money earmarked by the Transportation Department cover only about a third of the 45,000 bridges nationwide identified as in poor condition in the $1 trillion infrastructure plan President Joe Biden signed into law in November. It authorized nearly $40 billion for repairs and upgrades.

Nancy Singer, a spokeswoman from the Federal Highway Commission, told Patch the $27 billion is authorized under the dedicated Bridge Formula Program to replace or repair highway bridges. It is not the only pot of money available to states to fix bridges.

States receive the money according to a needs-based formula, and state transportation departments will decide how the money is used, whether for major highway bridges that are part of the federal highway system or bridges under local jurisdictions, Singer said.

The states are being notified how much they’ll receive over five years for planning purposes, the report said.

The funding in the infrastructure plan promised to reach almost every corner of the country with money earmarked for bridges, ports, rail transit, safe water, the power grid, broadband internet and other critical infrastructure.

The White House issued a fact sheet Friday detailing how the administration is distributing infrastructure funds 60 days after the plan was approved.