Better Roads: The state of the nation’s bridges is improving, but funding is still a major roadblock

According to our sister site Better Roads, when it comes to the state of the nation’s bridges, there’s good news and bad news.

The good? According to Better Roads‘ annual Bridge Inventory survey, the percentage of overall structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in the U.S. is falling. The bad news is that guaranteed funding is a “major roadblock to making bigger strides.”

The study found Washington, D.C. to have the nation’s highest combined percentage of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges at 57 percent. Rhode Island is next at 51 percent and rounding out the top 5 are New York and Pennsylvania, tied at third with 39 percent; Massachusetts at 38 percent and Hawaii at 37 percent.

Age and corrosion are the leading causes of damage to bridges in the U.S., according to the Better Roads survey. And, unsurprisingly, the lack of funding most states are met with greatly delays repairs and construction on replacement bridges.

Click here to read the full report over at Better Roads where you can download a PDF of the full ranking.