Report: 150 bridges in Arizona are structurally deficient

PHOENIX — A new report found that 150 of Arizona’s more than 8,000 bridges are classified as structurally deficient, but the state is still doing much better than the rest of the nation when it comes to bridge safety.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association report ranked Arizona in the bottom three for percentage of structurally deficient bridges and No. 46 for number of those bridges.

The state improved in both categories, dropping one place lower in each since 2017.

The report found that about 2 percent of bridges in Arizona are structurally deficient, compared to 23.1 percent in Rhode Island, the nation’s highest.

Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Doug Nintzel gave several reasons why Arizona has one of the best inventories of state highway bridges in the nation

“The key is we benefit from our relatively dry climate, from modern engineering design because many our bridges are younger than bridges around the country, and we have a thorough inspection process,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM Wednesday.

Cars, trucks & school buses cross the 47,000 structurally deficient bridges in our nation 178 million times every day! Visit https://t.co/6Or2JNQzIy to find out more, including the slowing pace of repair! Time to #FixTheTrustFund #InfrastructureNow pic.twitter.com/pDx2zyOAqW

— ARTBA (@ARTBA) April 1, 2019

Nineteen of the bridges classified as structurally deficient in Arizona are part of the Interstate Highway System.

Most of the highly traveled structurally deficient bridges are in Pima County, but the Shea Boulevard crossing over Indian Bend Wash in Maricopa County was on the list as the second most-traveled.

Bridges in rural areas accounted for 80 percent of those deemed structurally deficient in the state.

According to the report, Arizona has identified almost 2,000 bridges needing repairs, which will cost a total of $1.4 billion.

Throughout the nation, there are about 178 million daily crossings on more than 47,000 structurally deficient bridges.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Taylor Kinnerup contributed to this report. 

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