Hudson Valley Bridges Need Repair: NY Comptroller

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Bridges owned by New York’s local governments need an estimated $27.4 billion in repairs, according to a new report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The good news is that DiNapoli’s report found the number of "structurally deficient" locally-owned bridges has declined in recent years. The bad: the cost for repairs is staggering.

The Hudson Valley region is third highest in the proportion of functionally obsolete bridges, the comptroller's report said.

Ulster County has the state's third-highest number of structurally deficient local bridges. Westchester County has the third-highest number of highway bridges in the state — and, according to the report, while only 5 percent are structurally deficient, half are functionally obsolete. Rockland and Putnam counties, like Westchester, have few structurally deficient bridges. (See table below.)

New York City has the highest estimated costs at $20.4 billion, nearly three-quarters of the $27.4 billion estimated for all local bridges (that excludes state, federal or privately owned structures).

Concerns about how local governments will find funding for repairs is growing as Washington considers changes to infrastructure aid.

"Local communities are facing a big price tag for maintaining and repairing bridges,” DiNapoli said. "These structures are aging and the cost for repairs will likely only increase over time. Many local governments understand the importance of long-term planning for their infrastructure needs but they will need help. While the state has taken steps to make funds for repairs available, the assistance of the federal government has also been critical. Difficult decisions lie ahead, but these infrastructure needs must be addressed."

Local governments, mostly counties, own 8,834 out of 17,462 bridges in the state. These bridges carry average daily traffic of nearly 33.4 million vehicles.

DiNapoli’s report found local bridges are more likely to be structurally deficient than state-owned bridges (12.8 percent to 9 percent). “Structurally deficient” bridges that remain open are considered safe to drive on, but either have load-bearing elements in poor condition or are prone to repeated flooding.

The overall percentage of structurally deficient local bridges declined from 16.7 percent to 12.8 percent from 2002 to 2016, while the state’s percentage was relatively flat at around 9 percent.

Town-owned bridges are more likely to be structurally deficient (18.4 percent) than other local bridges. The highest number of structurally deficient local bridges are located in New York City (86), followed by the counties of Erie (52), Ulster (46) and Steuben (40).

“Functionally obsolete” bridges, though not structurally unsound, fail to meet current design standards for the amount of traffic carried. Those structures may have inadequate lane or shoulder widths, low clearances or low load-carrying capacity. DiNapoli’s report notes the challenge of improving older infrastructure in developed areas, which have limited space to expand bridge structures to handle increased traffic flows or meet current design standards.

Regionally, the Mid-Hudson Valley has the third highest proportion of functionally obsolete bridges (26.9 percent), topped only by New York City (75.9 percent) and Long Island (40.6 percent).

County-by-county breakdown:

Source: Office of the New York State Comptroller

Rockland County Executive Ed Day was pleased that the report showed only three bridges in need of repair in Rockland, the best record of the 60 municipalities in the state except for Ontario and Suffolk counties. "My administration has made investment in infrastructure a priority," Day said. "This report shows that our effort has been a success."

Also, he pointed out, the Rockland bridges cited by the state as in need of repair include one in Orangetown, which is in the final stages of being rebuilt. The Orangeburg Road bridge is projected to be completed either by the end of the year or in early 2018. Almost all of the funding for the $13 million project is coming from state and federal sources.

Usually, municipalities are responsible for the costs of their locally-owned bridges. But they do receive assistance from the state and federal government. Excluding assistance to address severe winter weather damage, funding levels for traditional state aid programs (Marchiselli Aid and CHIPs) have remained flat in recent years, the comptroller's report said.

State officials created the BRIDGE NY program in 3 to support local bridges and culverts. As of January 2017, the state Department of Transportation had awarded $200.4 million to fund 132 local bridge and culvert projects statewide.

The federal government provides aid for local bridge projects primarily through Federal Highway Administration programs. These grants generally can fund up to 80 percent of eligible costs with the state or local government coming up with the remainder. Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides grants for damage caused by natural disasters or emergencies, including repairs to damaged bridges.

Read the report here.

An interactive online tool with county-level data on New York’s bridges is available here.

PHOTO: The Orangetown bridge under repair/ Rockland County