Report: Pennsylvania’s Bridges Are Worst in Nation

[onehandle]

Source: Philadelphia Magazine

A report released Thursday from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association names Pennsylvania’s bridges the worst in the nation. ARTBA — the country’s largest transportation construction trade group and advocates for more spending on road infrastructure — says Pennsylvania has both the most (5,218) and the highest percentage (23%) of “structurally deficient” bridges of any state in the union. Pennsylvania has 22,660 bridges in all.

The full state rankings put Pennsylvania just ahead of Iowa. New Jersey (29th, 624 bridges, 10%) and Delaware (49th, 56, 6%) fare much better than the Keystone State in the rankings.

Read more: http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/04/24/report-pennsylvanias-bridges-worst-nation

[Treant]

1. Fact: Our Bridges Stink

There are a few here in PA that I won't drive over because I don't trust them. And for non-engineer me not to trust a bridge, it has to be pretty bad.

I'm not quite sure where the money is going--I could guess--but it sure isn't going to bridge and road maintenance and repair.

[closeupready]

4. That skyway outside Philadelphia is frightening all on its own, even

without hearing that the bridges in PA are deficient. Now, I have THAT to worry about, lol.

[Treant]

9. There's one bridge...

When forced to go over it, I breathe shallowly until I'm off the thing. The engineers I know who reviewed it have forbidden their family and friends from driving on it.

And still we do nothing.

Breathing shallowly while crossing it does nothing, but it makes me feel better. At least that won't be the straw that broke the camel's back...

[Sheldon Cooper]

2. We're Number 1!! We're Number 1!!

[John1956PA]

3. Western Pennsylvania has seen some recent bridge replacements to handle fracking truck traffic.

The Pittsburgh area is said to have more bridges than any other location.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the United States place that has the most bridges. With the possible exception of Venice, Italy, Pittsburgh is the bridge capital of the world. There are more than 1,700 bridges in Allegheny County's 731 square miles. The county has 2.3 bridges per square mile or one bridge for every mile of highway. Nationwide, there are approximately 564 thousand bridges.

. . .

More at http://topics.info.com/Which-United-States-place-has-the-most-bridges_2328

There have been recent replacements of some small, relatively low bridges over the PA Turnpike in the Pittsburgh region. Those replacements were necessary so that trucks carrying gas drilling equipment and fracking fluid would not cause their collapse. In northern Beaver County, about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, there will be replacement of two fairly high bridges which span the Beaver River. One bridge carries traffic along the PA turnpike and dates back to 1952. The other bridge carries traffic along a state highway and was originally a streetcar bridge which was completed in 1914. Those two replacement projects will be impressive to watch.

[elleng]

6. 3 rivers all meet in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Those three rivers are; the Ohio river, the Monongahela river and the Allegheny river.

[John1956PA]

10. The Allegheny and Mon Rivers meet to form the Ohio River which has 10 highway bridges over it in PA.

Almost all of the ten Pennsylvania highway bridges over the Ohio River are relatively new additions or are relatively new replacements of previous bridges in the same locations. There is an eleventh bridge which spans the Ohio River only part way to Neville Island.

The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers are spanned by many bridges. I assume that some of those are being considered for replacement.

[magnolia77]

5. Here are some opportunities for government investment.

Some revenue sharing from the Feds to the states. It would create jobs and make the country safer. We could do some of that instead of paying, for example, $5 billion to overthrow the democratically elected government of Ukraine. I know $5 billion isn't much. But as Everett Dirksen once said, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon it adds up to some real money."

[Agschmid]

7. I'd like to see more money spent on infrastructure, is that what you are saying?

[athelbert]

16. That would be a good idea.

Instead of using the money to spread US hegemony over places like Ukraine.

[onehandle]

8. I see 'opportunity' to get rid of a teabagger governor who was elected as a fluke.

Corbett is history.

[hedgehog]

11. It is a problem for every engineer out there to explain to non-engineers that

that tank, that pipeline, that levee, that bridge, that pressure vessel etc needs to be replaced. We deal with probabilities and possibilities. We can identify that something is in poor shape and will fail when conditions are right, but we can't predict to the minute when conditions will be right. The upshot is that the money people end up running systems to failure. It's one thing when only money is involved, another when lives are lost.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. The state finally passed a Transportation funding bill

that is *supposed* to pump more funding into the roads, bridges, and public transit last November.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2013/11/25/Corbett-to-sign-transportation-funding-bill-today-Corbett-to-sign-bill-boosting-roads-bridges-mass-transit/stories/201311250115

It may be too little too late. This past winter has been brutal - particularly in the eastern, more heavily traveled part of the state, and that will do a number on the infrastructure. I expect any survey done since the above-quoted one, will show it even worse now.

[geretogo]

13. I grew up in western Pennsylvania . Left at 19 for west coast . It was falling apart 45 years ago

when I left . The Koch Brothers and LIBERTARIAN ideology want no taxes for any PUBLIC
anything including bridges . They see PUBLIC as Communism . They need to be eliminated from our country .

[Joe Bacon]

15. Absolute Truth!

I left Western PA in 1982. Even then, bridges were in a state of disrepair.

[aceofblades]

14. Wow that's unfortunate

but at least based on individual anecdotal experience not surprising.

I know this is a small part of the problem but I wonder if the report includes the many historical covered bridges in PA. There are over 200 (the most in any state) many of which were built in the 19th century and are need of preservation and maintenance if they are to be available for future generations as well.

That being said, of course the higher volume bridges should be given priority in my opinion. Corbett only just recently signed a transportation bill which was largely overdue, and is still not enough in my opinion.