11% Of Michigan's Bridges Are Structurally Deficient: Study Says

MICHIGAN — A new study showed that 11 percent of all Michigan bridges were deemed "structurally deficient" and in danger of collapsing, which was the tenth worst ranking in the country.

The report found 1,240 structurally deficient bridges in the state, which is a slight increase from 2017, American Road and Transportation Builders Association. The report is based on data downloaded Jan. 3.

Earlier this year, Gov. Whitmer announced the largest investment ever in Michigan's bridges, in which the state will receive $563.1 million over five years to build, repair, or replace bridges. However, some metro Detroit agencies fear they might only receive a small share of the money.

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.

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.

The condition of the nation’s bridges was spectacularly illustrated with the Pittsburgh bridge collapse 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 U.S. Department of Transportation 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 OpenSecrets.org.