Key takeaways about the condition of US bridges and their role in the economy

The rapid collapse of a Baltimore bridge struck by a large freighter underscored the importance bridges play in the daily lives of many Americans.

Six construction workers who were on the bridge are believed to have died. The drivers of more than 30,000 vehicles that crossed the bridge every day must find a new route around or over the Patapsco River. And shipments at the Port of Baltimore will be halted for some time, forcing countless companies to find alternative ways to get their goods in and out of the US.

Although the Interstate 895 bridge in Baltimore was in satisfactory condition before the ship collision, thousands of other bridges across the U.S. are in poor condition due to aging piers, beams and major structural components.

Here are some takeaways from an Associated Press analysis of the more than 621,000 roadway bridges over 20 feet long included in the federal government’s National Bridge Inventory.

Inspectors rate bridges on a scale of 0 to 9, with 7 or higher considered “good.” A “poor” rating reflects a 4 or lower for some of the major components of a bridge. An average rating is considered ‘fair’.

According to the federal government, about 42,400 U.S. bridges are in poor condition and carry about 167 million vehicles every day. Those poor bridges are on average 70 years old.

Of those bad bridges, four-fifths have problems with the substructure (the legs that hold them up) or the superstructure (the arms that carry their load). And according to AP’s analysis, more than 15,800 of the poor bridges were also on the poor condition list ten years ago.

Iowa has the largest number of poor bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri.

Although unusual, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was not the first bridge to collapse after being struck by a ship. According to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, 35 major bridges collapsed worldwide due to collisions with ships or barges between 1960 and 2015, killing a total of 342 people. Eighteen of those collapses occurred in the United States.

Although also rare, bad bridges can eventually simply collapse.

In January 2022, a bridge over Fern Hollow Creek in Pittsburgh collapsed, injuring but not killing the occupants of several vehicles on it. Federal investigators determined that the bridge’s steel legs had corroded, leaving visible holes, but inspectors failed to assess the severity of the problem and the city failed to follow through on repeated recommendations.

“This bridge didn’t just collapse by an act of God. It collapsed due to lack of maintenance and repair,” said National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham.

When bridges close or collapse, there are financial consequences.

Thirteen people were killed and 145 others injured when an Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007. According to a state analysis, Minnesota’s economy lost $60 million in 2007-2008 due to increased travel time and operating costs for commuters and businesses.

Bridges in Providence, Rhode Island and Tacoma, Washington are currently closed due to safety concerns. Area businesses have taken a hit as motorists have been diverted to other routes.

Marco Pacheco, owner of a liquor store along a main drag in a Portuguese neighborhood in East Providence, said his business sales have fallen 20% since the bridge closed late last year. But he’s even more concerned about the long-term consequences.

“That traffic will not return immediately. People have reshaped their patterns, their thought processes and so on,” Pacheco said.

Business owners in Washington shared similar concerns about the indefinite closure of the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge in an industrial area near the Port of Tacoma. A nearby Interstate 5 bridge offers a good alternative, but that means many motorists simply drive past an exit without thinking about nearby businesses, such as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop.

“Is there danger?” asked Harley-Davidson shop owner Ed Wallace. “Yes, absolutely, a very serious matter for me as a business owner.”

A massive infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 earmarked $40 billion for bridges over five years — the largest dedicated bridge investment in decades. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the law already funds more than 7,800 bridge projects.

But even that will only make a dent in the estimated $319 billion in needed bridge repairs nationwide, according to American Road. & Association of Transport Builders.

“The bottom line is that America’s bridges need a lot of work,” Buttigieg told the AP after visiting the closed Rhode Island Bridge. He added: “The sooner we can tackle these important bridges, the less likely they will be abruptly taken out of service, or worse, at risk of collapse.”