REPORT: More than 25% of US bridges are "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete!

Here's some bad news for all of us: Over 150,000 bridges in the U.S. have been judged to be "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." And get this, there are less than 598,000 bridges in America. That means 25.7% aren't in very good shape. It turns out that the state with the most structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (SD/FO) bridges is Texas, with 9,564 such bridges. However, Texas is ginormous – almost half the size of Alaska – and therefore has a lot of bridges, but the percentage of Texan SD/FO bridges is 19%. And that's significantly lower than the national average.

Full article here

That's FRIGHTNING! I am be glad I don't have to cross any bridges to get around.


[Edited tacky link ]

[edit on 13-11-2009 by Scooby Doo]

right.. well.. they use the bridge that collapsed a couple of years ago, and I don't know of any other that have in the last 10+ years.. and IMO, the bridge that collapsed was VERY suspicious if you ask me..

it's a blog not a web news source or even MSN..

This is truly a shame, and it just irritates me more thinking back on that one report I saw about jobs being created to build a small bridge to one small business.

I'm certain this opinion will not be popular, but this is a definite place where money can be spent on real jobs. The infrastructure of our country has been slowly deteriorating and it might just be time for a new deal. Commerce and society depend on these bridges more then most people realize. Without the road system we have now our economy would be severely weakened.

Keep the roads and the bridges working, and commerce will repay you.


I had a flashback to that tower that burnt in russia some years back, and I remember the newscasters stating that the infrastructure was so shot in russia after the collapse of the soviet union that they were just letting the fire burn. I'm not sure if it was as bad as the media was laying it on, but I am reminded of that.

I'd rather we not be seen on another country's media letting bridges collapse and roads turn to ruin.

reply to post by Komodo


Here's a link to a media outlet discussing this and the special interests that get in the way of proper funding.

Blair Anundson, a WashPIRG organizer, said the report isn't meant to impugn any public officials, but rather point out that they are hamstrung by a flawed system. Changes need to be made so that transportation spending meets the public's greater needs and doesn't serve the "narrow interests of the biggest contributors," he said.

This is from a washington state media outlet but I think the idea gets through here. This is happening in many states.

i really wouldve estimated that that number was much higher. nature is brutal to both living and non-living things.

hmmm maybe we should withhold nation building in other countries until we've got it under control here.

reply to post by Seiko


I agree entirely. But, unfortunately, funding is finite and people in power usually fund the things that will get them re-elected... social programs. The government was originally mandated to provide only infrastructure for the country and should return to doing that and that alone, IMO.

What I found interesting is that a lot of our bridges and toll roads have been sold to foreign investors. This may explain why at least some bridges and roads are in disrepair. The Department of Homeland Security says 80% of our ports are operated by Foreigners and they are buying and running US bridges and toll roads. www.alabamaeagle.org...


Also the Grace Commission Report of 1984 showed 100% of our taxes now go to the federal reserve banks to pay off interest on the loan of the counterfeit money they created out of nothing. Heck the Banks do not even PRINT the Federal Reserve Notes, the US treasury does but the Fed gets paid back in real wealth, our labor, for the fairy dust they created with the stroke of a pen on a checkbook containing not a dime, ....there is no money in the account at the Federal Reserve System. In fact, technically, there isn't even an account, there is only a checkbook.

All this means the money we thought we were paying to fix our roads is going into someone else's pocket. A pocket that is not even American!

"The individuals listed below owned banks which in turn owned shares in the FED. The banks listed below have significant control over the New York FED District, which controls the other 11 FED Districts. These banks also are partly foreign owned and control the New York FED District Bank." The Federal Reserve Is A PRIVATELY OWNED Corporation

Not only have we been robbed of our labor in the form of high taxes, they plan to rob us of everything else. Starting with our farmland. The "harmonization" of first world agriculture laws with World Trade Organization wishes resulted in a massive transfer of land ownership from private to corporate worldwide. A bill that just passed the house will see that the same happens here in the US of A. [See HR 2749: Waxman's “Food Safety” Bill Contains Provisions For Martial Law] But the greedy cartels running the World Trade Organization are not satisfied with grabbing our farmland they want it ALL.

Up for grabs at the negotiating table is worldwide privatization and deregulation of public energy and water utilities, postal services, higher education and state alcohol distribution controls; a new right for foreign firms to obtain U.S. Small Business Administration loans; elimination of a list of specific U.S. state laws about land use, professional licensing and consumer protections, and extreme deregulation of private-sector service industries such as insurance, banking, mutual funds and securities. www.commondreams.org...

Given what the WTO did to the quality of our food through replacing regulations that gave the US "the safest food in the World" with International HACCP regulations, I hate to think what will happen when the vultures get control of "public energy and water utilities, postal services, higher education and state alcohol distribution"

As someone who inspect bridge foundation for a living (although not in the US) I can tell you that this percentage is very realistic. The percentage could be even worse for railway bridges.

Government don't like to spend money to repair the infrastructure, the political impact from those spending are not very interesting for most of the people ... it's way better to build something new. So it will unfortunatly take a few more deaths before people wake up. And the problem is not just with the bridges, water distribution, harbors, dams will all need a lot of money in repairs in the next few years, I hope the money will be there. It is not very glamorous to spend money on something you don't see, but it will have to be done.