Massachusetts Has 482 Structurally Deficient Bridges: Report

BOSTON, MA — Bay State drivers cross bridges 113 million times a day. If you're one of those 113 million trips, you may not want to hear about this new report.

More than 9 percent of bridges in Massachusetts are considered "structurally deficient," according to an analysis of federal data conducted by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. That amounts to 482 structurally deficient bridges, 67 of which are on the Interstate Highway System.

Massachusetts ranked 21st in the country in highest percentage of bridges deemed to be in poor condition and 32d highest based on the actual number of such bridges.

The state has identified 4,718 bridges are in need of repairs and estimated it would cost $18.5 billion to fix them.

Over the past five years, bridge investment has accounted for 45.3 percent of highway and bridge contract awards in Massachusetts, compared to a national average of 28.9 percent. Over the past 10 years, 304 new bridges have been constructed here, while 202 have undergone major reconstruction.

The report does not identify bridges by name, but does so by location. Here are the 20 most heavily traveled structurally deficient bridges in Massachusetts:

Massachusetts was one of 21 states where at least 9 percent of bridges were rated structurally deficient, the analysis found. If placed end-to-end, the number of such bridges could stretch more than 1,200 miles — nearly the distance between Miami and New York City.

Inspectors rate bridge decks and support structures on a scale of zero to nine for deterioration and remedial action. A rating of nine means the bridge is in “excellent” condition. A rating of four or below means a bridge is classified as structurally deficient and in need of repair.

On average, those bridges were built 67 years ago, when Harry Truman was president. Non-deficient bridges were 27 years younger on average.

Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and New York have the most structurally deficient bridges, the analysis found.

The Federal Highway Administration told NBC News in a statement, that the report "underscores the need for investment in our nation's infrastructure."

"It also highlights the importance of streamlining the permitting process, so that the projects that are funded can move forward without undue delay," the agency said.

The road and transportation group that conducted the analysis is a non-partisan federation that aims to "aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment" in order to meet demand for safe and efficient travel.

Alison Premo Black, chief economist for the group, said in a release that it would take 37 years to remedy every bridge at the current pace of repair or replacement. An infrastructure package aimed at modernizing the interstate system would benefit the economy both in the short and long term, she said.

Traffic bottlenecks cost the trucking industry alone more than $60 billion a year in lost productivity and fuel. That “increases the cost of everything we make, buy or export," she said.

President Donald Trump is expected to talk about the nation's crumbling infrastructure during the State of the Union on Tuesday night. During his campaign, he pledged to spend $1 trillion to rebuild America's roads and bridges.

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