Report: 20 Percent of Pa. Bridges Are Structurally Deficient

Only one state has more of them.

I-95 Traffic

Of the state’s most-travelled structurally deficient bridges, 15 are part of I-95.

About 20 percent of bridges in Pennsylvania are structurally deficient, according to a new report from The American Road & Transportation Builders Association. 

The ARTBA, a Washington, D.C.-based national transportation construction trade group, analyzed federal data to compile its annual report on the nation’s structurally deficient bridges, so-called when at least one major structure on the bridge is labeled as “poor” or worse.

Pennsylvania came in second when ranked among states with the most structurally deficient bridges, placing only behind Iowa, which claims 4,968 of them, according to the organization. The report found the Keystone State to have 4,506.

On the bright side, that number dropped by more than 275 since 2016, when ARTBA found Pennsylvania to have 4,783 structurally deficient bridges.

On the downside, top 15 most-travelled structurally deficient bridges in the state all belong to I-95, including stretches near Frankford, Aramingo and Cottman avenues in Fishtown, Frankford and Tacony.

According to McClatchy, a list of 50 “Emergency & National Security Projects” reportedly leaked from President Donald Trump’s administration includes plans to repair the I-95 bridges. There’s been little progress on that front, though, which would reportedly cost $8 billion.

Throughout the last 10 years, the state has constructed 2,050 new bridges and reconstructed about 1,925 bridges, according to the ARTBA, which found that the federal government supported about $7.5 billion worth of capital improvements on about 3,330 bridges between 2005 and 2014.

To fix the state’s estimated 12,000 bridges in need of repair would reportedly cost about $12 million.

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