Tag: Bridge Inventory

Roadbuilding

Majority of U.S. bridges show some structural deterioration

For 2020, most bridges have been rated as fair as bridges rated good are declining. View the national snapshot of bridge conditions on Equipment World.

December 3, 2020

Roadbuilding

2019 Bridge Inventory: States struggle to keep up with deteriorating bridges

With few exceptions, states are losing the battle with aging bridges in need of repair or replacement. Even states with low percentages of bridges rated poor are finding it difficult to keep up with bridge and road systems that in many cases are 50 years old or older. Utah, which ranks fourth for the lowest […]

November 11, 2019

Roadbuilding

2018 Bridge Survey: Funding, aging inventory, staff shortages hinder improvements

Learn how funding, aging inventory, staff shortages and more have hindered bridge improvements across the nation with Equipment World's 2018 Bridge Survey.

November 8, 2018

Roadbuilding

2017 Bridge Inventory: States get proactive on funding, expect to lower rate of poor bridges

States continue to take the lead on road and bridge funding, with eight states to date in 2017 either raising gas taxes or approving other funding. And once you factor in states that passed road funding during the past four years – 27 plus the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State […]

November 6, 2017

Roadbuilding

2016 Better Roads Bridge Inventory: 2-year decline in deficient U.S. bridges snapped

At first, it seems like the typical bad news statistic you tend to get when you ask state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to comment on the condition of the bridges in their areas: Half of the state bridge engineers responding to our 2016 Better Roads Bridge Inventory said that low funding was their top obstacle […]

November 14, 2016

Roadbuilding

2015 Better Roads Bridge Inventory: Ohio the bridge poster child; D.C. still has most SD/FO spans

No surprise: the top challenge facing state DOTs in improving structurally deficient (SD) and functionally obsolete (FO) bridges is funding, according to our 2015 Better Roads Bridge Inventory. And while maintenance was second on the list of challenges, this year staffing also mentioned as a top-level concern. The national average for percentage of SD/FO bridges […]

November 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

Analysis rates structurally deficient bridges by Congressional district

Transit Labs, a transportation system analysis firm, has ranked bridge conditions across the U.S. by congressional district, the results of which may provide motivation for establishing long-term transportation funding legislation. The analysis looks at the volume of structural deficient bridges, and found only five districts had no bridges in this condition. These include Alan Grayson (D-Florida—District […]

May 29, 2015

Roadbuilding

The 3 things needed right now to repair our nation’s bridges, according to 12 DOTs

The nation’s infrastructure system can be likened to an economic circulatory system – giving us freedom, opportunity and mobility—and this should not be taken for granted, said former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves during a recent infrastructure conference. “We should never undervalue the greatness and freedom our nation’s roads provide,” says Graves, now president and CEO […]

February 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

What causes the most damage to our nation’s bridges?

We surveyed all 50 state Departments of Transportation (DOT) and the District of Columbia’s DOT for the Better Roads Annual Bridge Inventory. In doing so, we took a look at what causes the most damage to bridges. Here’s what the DOTs said: Key: (A)ge (C)orrosion (T)raffic (O)ther Delaware               […]

November 25, 2014

Roadbuilding

Oklahoma DOT looks to Caltrans for bridge assessment advice

Bridges across the nation are aging, with many now well past their projected life spans. Oklahoma’s bridges are among those aging structures. In the “Better Bridges 2013 Bridge Inventory,” Better Roads reported that 14 percent of the state’s 7,664 bridges were either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Add that recent seismic activity, which, according to a […]

April 22, 2014

Roadbuilding

More from the Bridge Inventory: Top 5 States with the Best and Worst Bridges

Despite that the nation’s transportation funding system is in great peril as the expiration of the current surface transportation funding bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), is set to expire on September 30, 2014, many state agencies expect to be able to lower their number of functionally obsolete (FO) and structurally […]

November 21, 2013

Roadbuilding

SNEAK PEEK at the 2013 Bridge Inventory: What causes the most damage to bridges?

Every year, Better Roads conducts a survey on the state of the nation’s bridges. The survey has been conducted since 1979. Bridge engineers from every state and Washington, D.C., are sent a survey with both qualitative and quantitative questions to determine the percentage of structurally deficient (SD) and functionally obsolete (FO) by state, by total […]

November 5, 2013