NJ Has 596 Structurally Deficient Bridges: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans cross bridges rated as "structurally deficient" 174 million times a day, according to a new analysis of federal data. And New Jersey has plenty of them (see list below).

There are more than 612,000 bridges in the country; of those, 54,259 were rated structurally deficient, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. In New Jersey, there are 596 of them, according to a report released this week by the association.

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.

New Jersey state ranked 22nd in the country in highest percentage of bridges deemed to be in poor condition and 29th highest based on the actual number of such bridges.

The 596 structurally deficient bridges account for 8.8 percent of all bridges in New Jersey state. The state said 2,241 bridges are in need of repairs and estimated it would cost $6.3 billion to fix them.

Here is a list of the most-traveled structurally deficient bridges in New Jersey:

1. Garden State Parkway over Mill Road, Union County; built in 1953, 197,767 daily crossings.
2. Garden St Parkway over Third River, Essex County built in 1954 180,631 daily crossings.
3. NJ 4 over Hackensack River, Bergen County; built in 1931, 156,060 daily crossings.
4. I-80 over Passaic River, Passaic County; built in 1969, 155,035 daily crossings.
5. NJ 495 over US 1&9, Paterson Plank Road, Hudson County; built in 1939, 154,150 daily crossings.
6. Garden State Parkway over Nut Swamp Brook, Monmouth County; built in 1954, 134,640 daily crossings.
7. US 46 over Lower Notch Road, Passaic County; built in 1939, 134,578 daily crossings.
8. NJ 17 over Central Avenue, Bergen County; built in 1931, 124,295 daily crossings.
9. NJ 17 over NYS & W RR Spur, Bergen County; built in 1932, 121,740 daily crossings.
10. NJ 17 over NYS & W RR, Bergen County; built in 1931, 121,740 daily crossings.
11. NJ Rt 3 over Northern Sec. & Ramp, Hudson County; built in 1929, 113,235 daily crossings.
12. NJ 495 eastbound over NJ 3 eastbound & US 1 ramp, Hudson County; built in 1951, 106,480 daily crossings.
13. I-78 over Beaver Brook, Hunterdon County; built in 1941, 103,858 daily crossings.
14. Garden State Parkway northbound over Third River, Essex County; built in 1954, 94,300 daily crossings.
15. NJ 4 over Grand Ave. (NJ 93,CR501), Bergen County; built in 1931, 92,300 daily crossings.
16. I-280 over NJ 21 & Ramps C&D, Essex County; built in 1950, 91,880 daily crossings.
17. NJ 440 over Garden State Parkway & Route US 9, Middlesex County; built in 1970, 89,097 daily crossings.
18. Garden State Parkway southbound over Third River, Essex County; built in 1954, 88,943 daily crossings.
19. I-280 over Broad & State St, Essex County; built in 1951, 87,160 daily crossings.
20. I-280 over Martin Luther King Blvd., Essex County; built in 1952, 87,160 daily crossings.
21. NJ 4 over Palisade Avenue, Bergen County; built in 1931, 85,515 daily crossings.
22. NJ 4 over Teaneck Road, Bergen County; built in 1931, 85,514 daily crossings.
23. NJ 3 eastbound over Hackensack River & Meadowlands Parkway, Bergen County; built in 1934, 84,150 daily crossings.
24. I-78 westbound over Quarry Rd., Union County; built in 1967, 82,834 daily crossings.
25. I-76 over Newton Creek, Camden County; built in 1956, 81,095 daily crossings.

Perhaps New Jersey's biggest bridge rehabilitation project is the $1 billion makeover of the Pulaski Skyway, a 3.5 mile span between Newark and Jersey City. The project, which began in 2014, was supposed to be finished by last summer, but severe weather and other complications have delayed the project. Other bridge construction projects can be found by clicking here.

In 21 states nationwide, 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.

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 talked 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.

Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images