Study outlines conditions and identifies $140 billion price tag for nation’s bridges

AMES, Iowa – July 28, 2008 – Over the next two years, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will be investing $181 million in state system bridge preservation activities. Additional funding will be provided for building new structures as part of the highway construction program. Yet, the highway agency cannot overcome the backlog of needs for repair and replacement of existing structures, including major river crossings such as the Interstate 74 bridges in the Quad Cities.

“One of Iowa's most pressing transportation concerns is finding the funds necessary to repair, rehabilitate and replace our aging bridges. Iowa is fifth in the nation in number of bridges with 24,776 bridges on the state, county and local road systems; 6,373 of these bridges are 50 years old or older. When you add escalating construction prices, increased freight traffic and lost buying power to the mix, Iowa has a huge hurdle to overcome to meet these needs,” said Iowa DOT Director Nancy Richardson.

Richardson was responding to today’s release of a national report on the condition of America’s 600,000 bridges. The report, issued by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), underscores the safety of U.S. bridges, but finds that one out of every four needs to be modernized or repaired, despite the best efforts of state transportation officials. AASHTO reports that it could cost $140 billion (in 2006 dollars) to make all needed repairs or upgrades immediately.

AASHTO’s report, Bridging the Gap: Restoring and Rebuilding the Nation’s Bridges, outlines the critical challenges ahead. Among the report’s key findings:

• Age – Usually built to last 50 years, the average bridge age in this country today is 43, with one in five bridges over 50 years old. As age and traffic increase, so does the need for repair.
• The price tag – Based upon data from the Federal Highway Administration, the cost to repair or modernize the country’s bridges is $140 billion – assuming all the bridges were fixed immediately.
• Traffic congestion – Many of the nation’s large-scale bridges have become choke points on the country’s freeway system, and a drain on the nation’s economy. The top 10 highway interchange bottlenecks cause an average of 1.5 million truck hours of delay each year.
• Soaring construction costs – The costs of steel, asphalt, concrete, and earthwork have risen by at least 50 percent in the past five years, forcing delays of bridge improvements and replacements. Nearly every state faces funding shortages that prevent them from performing ongoing preventive maintenance, repair and replacement needed to keep their bridges sound indefinitely.

“This generation of baby boomer bridges is in need of significant repair or replacement. New technology can help us build bridges that are stronger and longer lasting,” said Pete Rahn, AASHTO president and director of the Missouri Department of Transportation. “Yet we are not seeing the kind of national attention we need to address these issues.”

Bridging the Gap also points to several solutions. Among them:

• Increased investment in transportation at all levels of government – federal, state and local.
• Support for a wide range of revenue options, such as tolls, tax increases, annual road user fees, bonds or private investment.
• Continued commitment to research and innovation.
• Systematic maintenance to extend the life of bridges.
• Increased public awareness that bridges are vital links to business and communities.

AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley said, “Across the nation, state and local transportation agencies are struggling to keep our country’s bridges safe, sound and fit for the future. A new generation of bridges must be built and Bridging the Gap points the way.”

For a full copy of the report or to see a video on its key findings, visit www.transportation.org.

For a Google Earth™ map and complete list of bridges on Iowa’s Primary Highway System, including their sufficiency ratings and age, visit http://iowadot.gov/Iowa_bridges.html.

#

Contact:  Dena Gray-Fisher, 515-239-1922 or dena.grayfisher@dot.iowa.gov