03/25/11 - The Daily Republic: New report says South Dakota's bridges rank fifth-worst in nation
A report released this week shows South Dakota has the fifth-worst ranking in the nation for the condition of its bridges.New report says South Dakota's bridges rank fifth-worst in nation
A report released this week shows South Dakota has the fifth-worst ranking in the nation for the condition of its bridges.
“The Fix We’re In: The State of South Dakota’s Bridges,” finds that drivers in South Dakota are regularly traveling across heavily trafficked bridges with “poor” ratings — bridges that could become dangerous or might be closed without repair.
Today, one out of every five bridges that motorists in South Dakota cross each day are likely to be deteriorating to some degree, the report says, and 20.3 percent of bridges statewide are rated “structurally deficient” according to government standards, compared to 11.5 percent nationwide. About•30 out of 66 counties in the state have bridge conditions worse than the statewide average.
Among the counties with the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges are three in The Daily Republic’s circulation area: Sanborn County (37.1 percent structurally deficient), Bon Homme County (36.3 percent) and Tripp County (36.3 percent). In Davison County, the percentage is 16.4.
Without a change in federal support, the report noted, South Dakota will need $293 from each driver to fix all of the structurally deficient bridges.
The big picture isn’t any better.
Nearly 70,000 bridges nationwide are classified as “structurally deficient,” the lowest safety rating, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and transportation agencies need $70.9 billion to overcome the current backlog of deficient bridges.
“The situation isn’t good,” admitted Noel Clocksin, local government engineer for the South Dakota Department of Transportation, who estimated that about a third of city and county bridges are structurally deficient.
Clocksin recently addressed the spring workshop of the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners, held at the Best Western Ramkota in Pierre, and explained what money is available to her office and how few bridges can be repaired with that money.
The state DOT receives $14 million to $16 million in federal funds each year for bridge repairs. It splits that money 50-50 with local governments. Fifty percent, in other words, goes to state structures and the remaining $7 million to $8 million is divvied up among all counties and cities for bridges that qualify for the funds.
The cash is given with a 20 percent local matching requirement. A $100,000 bridge eligible for the program would get $80,000 in DOT funds and the county or city would have to come up with $20,000. To be eligible, bridges must be on a federally approved bridge inspection program
There are 219 county and city bridges currently on the program, Clocksin said, but the state only has enough federal money to do about 25 to 30 projects a year.
“Counties who turn in projects today are going to be programmed the first years we have space and money available,” she said.
Right now, that means new bridge projects will have to wait until 2018 or 2019.
“We try to make the program as fair as we can, but it’s tough,” Clocksin said.
Local government usually tries to save the federal matching cash for larger, more expensive structures, and they pay for small bridges and culverts on low-volume roads, with local dollars.
Deferring maintenance of bridges and highways can cost three times as much as preventative repairs.
The use of bridge money is well defined. Federal bridge dollars can’t be used to repair structures damaged by floods or disasters. Such funds must come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Clocksin said.
Most bridges are designed to last about 50 years, and today, more than 185,000 highway bridges nationwide (out of 600,000 total) are 50 years old or older.
“Without federal help, the regional decline in bridges and roads is becoming a barrier to economic growth. Our future depends on Congress making strategic transportation investments in maintenance and repair,” said Niel Ritchie, Executive Director for the League of Rural Voters.
The problem will get worse, rapidly, if nothing is done, emphasized the report.
By 2030, the number of bridges more than 50 years old is expected to double without substantial bridge replacement, and that number could triple by 2050. South Dakota’s average is 44.6 years old.
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