State by State: Condition of Bridges: Quarter of WA's bridges are deficient

State-by-State Ranking of Deficient Bridges
Nationally 24.52 percent of bridges are deficient; In 14 states more than 30 percent of bridges are deficient


Los Angeles (August 3, 2007) – Of the 596,980 highway bridges in the current National Bridge Inventory, 147,913—24.52 percent—were reported deficient in 2005, according to the Reason Foundation's Annual Highway Performance Report, which was released in June. The Reason Foundation study finds at the current rate of repair it will take 50 years to fix today's deficient bridges.

Nevada has the lowest percentage of deficient bridges, 3.89 percent. Minnesota, where this week’s tragic bridge collapse occurred, ranked 5th in the nation, with 13 percent of its bridges deemed deficient. Rhode Island’s bridges are in the worst shape – with over half, 53.01 percent, of the state’s bridges qualifying as deficient. In all there are 36 states where at least 20 percent of the bridges are deficient – and 48 states where at least 10 percent of bridges are deficient.

"We're falling further and further behind," said Robert Poole, director of transportation studies at Reason Foundation and an adviser to the Federal Highway Administration. "We're prospering as a nation, driving more as commuters and shipping more goods, and that's pounding the highways and wearing them out."

Deficient Bridges (Percent of Bridges Deficient in 2005)

1. Nevada (3.89%)
2. Arizona (5.50)
3. Wyoming (12.37)
4. Colorado (12.96)
5. Minnesota (13.16)
6. Wisconsin (15.93)
7. Delaware (16.55)
8. Utah (17.55)
9. Illinois (17.56)
10. California (17.59)
11. Florida (18.33)
12. New Mexico (18.43)
13. Idaho (18.91)
14. Tennessee (19.26)
15. Georgia (20.35)
16. Texas (20.56)
17. Kansas (21.05)
18. Montana (21.20)
19. Indiana (21.83)
20. Arkansas (22.24)
21. Virginia (22.46)
22. Alaska (22.84)
23. Ohio (23.61)
24. South Carolina (23.63)
25. North Dakota (24.24)
26. Nebraska (24.55)
27. Washington (24.55)
28. Alabama (24.94)
29. Oregon (25.34)
30. South Dakota (25.62)
31. Mississippi (26.42)
32. Maryland (26.93)
33. Iowa (27.06)
34. Michigan (27.60)
35. New Jersey (27.91)
36. Maine (29.87)
37. New Hampshire (30.54)
38. Louisiana (30.67)
39. North Carolina (30.91)
40. Kentucky (31.45)
41. Missouri (31.47)
42. Oklahoma (33.04)
43. Connecticut (34.18)
44. Vermont (34.80)
45. Massachusetts (36.38)
46. Hawaii (36.85)
47. New York (37.08)
48. West Virginia (37.10)
49. Pennsylvania (39.00)
50. Rhode Island (53.01)

Federal law mandates the uniform inspection of all bridges for structural and functional adequacy at least every two years; bridges rated ‘deficient’ are eligible for federal repair dollars.