Ever wonder about the state of the bridges in your area? The group Transportation for America has created an interactive graphic that allows you to search by zip code or town to find deficient bridges near you.
“Deficient” doesn’t mean the bridges are going to collapse any time soon. But deficient bridges are more likely to have a lane closed, have weight restrictions, or close to traffic when repairs are made, Transportation for America describes.
Federal guidelines require bridges to be labeled as “structurally deficient” when one of three components — the top surface of the bridge (that vehicles and people cross), the superstructure that supports the deck, or the substructure that uses the ground to support the superstructure — is given a rating of four or less, on a scale of nine.
A rating of four or less most often means engineers have found a major defect, and the bridge will require maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.
Transportation for America, which is a national alliance of elected, business and civic leaders that advocates for investments in transportation solutions, used data from the Federal Highway Administration’s 2013 National Bridge Inventory to build the graphic. That report is based on data reported by the states each year.
Out of Maine’s 2,419 bridges, 364 were rated structurally deficient in 2014.
Explore the mapping tool by clicking here.
