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Report: 61,000 U.S. bridges 'structurally deficient'

By Amy R. Connolly

WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Even after improvements to some of the nation's bridges, tens of thousands across the United States remain structurally deficient and in need of "significant repair," the American Road & Transportation Builders Association found in an analysis of U.S. Department of Transportation records.

Experts warn the problems at some 61,000 bridges could get worse if dollars continue to be diverted from federal highway and transit funding, which is set to expire on May 31 without congressional action.

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There's currently a nationwide backlog of $115 billion in bridge work and $755 billion in highway projects, according to Department of Transportation data. In addition, funding for highway and pavement spending has dropped by about 20 percent in the last five years.

In a bit of good news, the report states there are more than 2,000 fewer structurally deficient bridges in 2014 over 2013.

"State and local governments are doing the best they can to address these significant challenges, given limited resources," said the association's Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black. "Many of the most heavily traveled bridges are nearly 50 years old. Elected officials can't just sprinkle fairy dust on America's bridge problem and wish it away. It will take committed investment by legislators at all levels of government."

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Earlier this week, President Obama sent Congress a $478 billion bill for transportation funding over the next six years, with a proposal that calls for a one-time 14 percent tax on overseas corporate profits. It has been widely rejected by Republicans.

At the same time, lawmakers are working on legislation that would raise roughly $170 billion by giving U.S. corporations a tax break to bring overseas profits back home.

"Without additional investment from all levels of government, our infrastructure spending will be a zero-sum game," Black said.

Bridges and support structures are inspected by state transportation departments and graded on a scale of 0 to 9, with nine being excellent. A bridge in need of serious repairs is typically rated a 4 or below. That doesn't mean they are imminently unsafe, the association said.

The associations findings include the following:

-- The 250 busiest structurally deficient bridges are on urban insterstate highways, particularly in California. Nearly 87 percent of them were built before 1970.

-- The highest numbers of structurally deficient bridges are in Pennsylvania (5,050), Iowa (5,022), Oklahoma (4,216), Missouri (3,310), Nebraska (2,654), California (2,501), Kansas (2,416), Mississippi (2,275), Illinois (2,216) and North Carolina (2,199).

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-- At least 15 percent of the bridges in eight states fall in the structurally deficient category. These states include Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Iowa and South Dakota.

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