482 NJ Bridges Are Structurally Deficient, Report Says

NEW JERSEY — A new report from a road contractors’ lobbying group lists 43,578 bridges across the country that are “structurally deficient” and in danger of collapsing.

The report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, based on data downloaded Jan. 3, lists 482 structurally deficient bridges in New Jersey.

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.

In New Jersey, the state Department of Transportation utilizes data from its bridge management system to prioritize projects – that involves many factors including, but not limited to bridge condition, traffic volume, crash rates, regional needs, and funding availability, according to NJDOT Spokesman Jim Barry.

In the fiscal year 2021, NJDOT spent $785 million on bridge projects, said Barry.

"The passage of the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the $1.14 billion provided to the State of New Jersey for bridge funding over five years will allow the Department to advance more projects than we would have otherwise," said Barry.

NJDOT is currently in the process of reviewing its bridge inventory and eligible projects to make the best use of these additional bridge resources and develop a 2023 Capital Program.

"Once the 2023 Capital Program is approved by the Legislature in July, we will be in a better position to provide more detail regarding the geographic distribution of bridge funds," said Barry.

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.