15 Worst Busy Bay Area Bridges: 'Plagued By Aging Infrastructure'

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA — A recently released analysis of the most "structurally deficient U.S. bridges in poor condition" reveals California is home to 1,493 of these crossings. Among the most traveled of those bridges, 15 are in the Bay Area.

Each bridge logs between 180,000 and 200,000 daily trips. The bridges are in Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano and San Mateo counties.

The information is contained in a new report from a road contractors’ lobbying group that lists 43,578 bridges across the country that are structurally deficient and in danger of collapsing.

The report is from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and is based on data downloaded Jan. 3.

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.

The Interstate 680 corridor through Contra Costa County has eight of the 15 Bay Area bridges, carrying a minimum of 181,700 vehicles a day. Seven of the bridges are over 50 years old, with the remaining bridge approaching 30 years old.

The Interstate 580 corridor in Alameda County has three bridges on the list, each at least 60 years old. The minimum traffic on those bridges is 183,000 daily vehicles.

The lone bridge in San Mateo County was built in 1930 — 92 years ago. It carries 195,000 vehicles a day on U.S. Highway 101 over Cordilleras Creek.

Three bridges along the Interstate 80 corridor in Solano County are listed, including one built in 1928 to cross over Green Valley Creek.

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.

Members of the East Bay congressional delegation are pleased with the program.

"The Bay Area is a cradle of innovation and industry," East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell told Patch,"but it’s plagued by aging infrastructure — including bridges large and small — that are in desperate need of repair or upgrade. The investment we’re making now will make commutes to work and school shorter and safer, help small businesses bring their goods to market, and ensure our region is climate-resilient for decades to come."

Swalwell's office told Patch that California will receive $4.2 billion over the next five years under the Bridge Formula Program. In addition, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $12.5 billion for the Bridge Investment Program, which will be a competitive program to replace, rehabilitate, preserve, or protect some of the nation’s most important and economically significant bridges. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation has not yet set up the application process for this program.

Some of the deficient bridges are located in the district of Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, who told Patch, "Studies have shown us for years that our nation’s infrastructure, including our bridges, is crumbling in large part due to underinvestment and deferred maintenance. I am pleased that people have finally started to take notice of what I have been saying for years: these needed updates cannot wait any longer. Thanks to the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we are able to provide funding to repair these bridges and protect the safety of the traveling public."

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

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 DOT 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 Open Secrets.