Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

The Bridge Crisis: The Decline of Americas Bridges Rashean Senior University of Central Florida ENC 1101 Professor Guenzel April 10,2014

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

Abstract The American infrastructure is in a troubled state as of right now. An important part of a countrys infrastructure is its prized bridges. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has given the American bridge a rating of a C+. This is a mediocre result for the unchallenged superpower, a title that the United States holds. There has been much speculation on the issue in the past regarding the poor maintenance and funding of the American bridge. However, most of these topics only reported the obvious situation and never offered any solutions viable enough to relieve the problem. This study will begin by offering background information regarding the situation and reveal the deteriorating state of the bridges as of recently. Furthermore, the research will explain the latent negative effects of the declining bridges on the American economy and the safety of the American people. As a final point, the success of past bridge projects will be highlighted and reviewed to offer suggestions for improvements. This inquiry of the current status of American bridges and the effects it causes, sheds light on an abandoned topic and provides new insight in which past research failed to.

Keywords: structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, design life, bridge, replacement, rehabilitation

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

The Bridge Crisis: The Decline of Americas Bridges Imagine driving along the highway and approaching an old creaky bridge that looks hazardous. However, the treacherous feeling is overcome by the feeling of uninformed assurance in American infrastructure. Imagine driving onto that bridge only to for that bridge to suddenly collapse with everything on it. This instance is a horrible nightmare that happens in reality. In 2007, this was the experience of the drivers along the 1-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis. With 13 fatalities and 145 injuries, then Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty(2007) put Minnesota in a state of emergency .Christine Evans-Pughe (2009), science and technology journalist, states that following the horrific incidents of the Mississippi River Bridge collapse in 2007, the United States has been wary of any incoming fractured bridges. However, lately that awareness has been dying down in place of other concerns. It is rarely ever televised or popularized that American bridges are in a state of decay and need. Due to this, it isnt common knowledge that the American Society of Civil Engineers (2013) or ASCE rated Americas bridge a C+ in its most recent report card. Its unsafe for unstable bridges to remain in the state they are, without proper care it is in due time that another fatal incident will happen and shock the United States as a whole. However this can be prevented with the cooperation of politicians willing to

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS solve this problem before a catastrophe occurs.

As a civil engineering major, it has interested me to find that my main discipline is in a crisis. According to the National Bridge Inventory (2013), the federal database of all bridges and tunnels, approximately 1 in 9 of United States bridges are rated structurally deficient and 25 percent as functionally obsolete. Structurally deficient bridges are critical bridges that require significant maintenance and must be inspected at least every year due to deterioration or damage. The ASCE (2013) states that functionally obsolete bridges are outdated bridges that no longer meet the current standards that are needed today such as ones narrow lanes or low load carrying capacity. With the emergence of new concerns, the common people who have no knowledge of the current state of American bridges forget the facts of this issue. It is no question whether these bridges need attention to avoid fatal incidents but the real question remains; how are we as a nation to generate the funds needed to fix these crippling bridges? The Department of Transportation (DOT) is the main sponsor of the countrys bridges. Because of this, it is in the best interest that the politicians supporting the DOT along with the American citizens is the main audience I am trying to appeal to. Some researchers such as Bala Sivakumar (2013), lead author of a transportation research board book, argue that this problem is an outdated one and believes

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

the currently the number of structurally and functionally obsolete bridges are actually smaller than it is. While Sivakumar insists that his findings are accurate, research done upon this issue reveals that this is not entirely correct. The results of my study indeed prove that bridges are still in a state of crisis. This study describes the numerical data involved with the status of the American bridges. Many organizations concerned with infrastructure, such as the ASCE still agree that this is an ongoing problem that needs to be put to a stop. With this said, I plan to inquire upon the preceding question through analysis of the information researched. Through the information analyzed it should be evident that this issue is still a higher priority than it appears to be. In this study I plan to emphasis the significance of the issue and persuade the masses using reliable information acquired through research. Politicians should be urged to relocate additional funds to the DOT for the purpose of rebuilding and maintaining our graceful age-old bridges, it cant be done alone, so thats why it is the duty of anyone who desires safe infrastructure in America to voice their rightful opinion. How Safe are our Bridges? Whether it is for work or travel, many people cross bridges everyday because it is the only route that can quickly get the driver over an obstacle such as large bodies of water or adjacent roads. According the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a division of the Department of Transportation, The average annual daily traffic of bridges in the entire nation is 4.3 billion. This information was averaged out over 365 days to provide a daily average. From this information it can be stressed how crucial the maintenance of bridges are. In order to ensure every one of those 4.3 billion trips around American bridges safe, there must be repairs and maintenance to prevent collapses. However over the past years there have been a number of

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

bridge collapses, fatal or nonfatal, that had been noted as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete beforehand, such as the Mississippi River Bridge and Skagit Bridge. One important fact to also consider is that the average age of the American bridge currently is 42 years old and 30 percent of bridges are over 50 years old according to the FHWA, a division of the Department of Transportation. The common design life for early bridges was set to be 50 years. With 30 percent of bridges currently past their design life, repairs only serve negligible results. Special methods are needed such as rehabilitation and repairs. The main purpose rehabilitation is to restore the structural integrity of a bridge and correct major safety defects. On the other hand, replacement is the total replacement of a bridge. Future engineers should be prompted to design better bridges or update the older ones to exceed this design life. Either more needs to be done to create longer lasting bridges or more money needs to be put in fund these processes. It essential that the first consideration when building a bridge is its safety, safety is always one of the major guidelines that engineers have to follow.

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

That being said, it is too risky for 1 in 9 bridges to be considered as structurally deficient. It is also too risky for 30 percent of bridges to be past their intended design life. These are flaws that are overlooked by the politicians and in order to change that the issue needs to be stressed. The Effect on The Economy America is in a peculiar debt as of right now debt. The debt is not the one that is between the countries. The United States owes itself to fix its infrastructure. According to the FHWA, the investment backlog for the nations bridges is estimated to be in the range of $121 billions. This means the American infrastructure of just bridges have accumulated about $121 billion of uncompleted work that needs to be dealt with. In order to eliminate this backlog by 2028, the FHWA estimates that $20.5 billion is needed to invest annually, however the ASCE (2013) estimates that only half the amount of this number is being invested annually. In total $12.8 billion is being spent on our bridges, which is a disappointing fact. The nation as a whole has not started to attempt to eliminate this backlog or uncompleted work; even it is possibly we are put in a situation where we are creating even more backlog. Another problem that complicates this is that needs are growing faster than funding. A good example of this according to Transportation for America is that over 2006 through 2009 bridge funding has been increased by $560 million to appropriate damages, yet over the same period needs increased by $22.8 billion. Despite being a bit outdated, this example still serves as foundation of the problem as 2009 was a major point for bridges following Minneapolis Bridge Collapse. The problem does not lie within the engineers that work and maintain the bridges. This is a misconception; as a matter of fact it is the complete opposite. It is undeniable that engineers working on Americas bridges understand the problems regarding the deteriorating bridges; this is common information for them. The problem lies within the politicians not giving the

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

engineers the funding they require in order to make the necessary replacements and repairs. President Obama also understands the problem, since presidency he has been pushing for greater investment in bridges as well as the other types of infrastructure such as roads and rails, However these attempts are unsuccessful as the congress refuses to give approval, according to popular news site CNN. If these politicians were to agree, it would be advantageous in the founding of the bridges and in result solve the problem at a great magnitude. Solutions Based on Past Success Nonetheless, individual states have attempted to fix their bridge problems. For example Oregon currently has 6.3 percent of deficient bridges as opposed to Pennsylvanias 26.5 percent. How is this possible? Well despite the Oregon having fewer bridges than Pennsylvania, Oregon founded a project in 2003 called the Oregon Bridge Delivery Program. According to the ASCE (2013), The Oregon Bridge Delivery Program was funded by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act and was a $1.3 billion program that would go on for ten years. The purpose of this program was set to repair and replace hundreds of bridges across the state. The ingenuity of this project enhanced Oregons economy in the long term. Before the start of the program Oregon predicted that deteriorating bridges that were rated structurally deficient would cost the states economy $123 billion in lost production and 88,000 in lost jobs over the next 25 years. The Oregon Bridge Delivery Program finished in 2013 and has been a success, highlighting what could be accomplished with the awareness of bridges. Imagine if the majority of states conducted a program like this, Funding programs that would fix not only the bridges but also the infrastructure. The same efficient results are possible for any state resulting in a more improved economy with a sense of security in the American bridge.

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

By this idea, it is suggested that not every states take this route. Nevada is ranked with the lowest percentage of structurally deficient bridges; it is rated as 2.2 percent structurally deficient with 1.7 thousand bridges. The amount of bridges is very minor when compared to Oklahoma, which is 2nd on the list of deficient bridges, having 23.6 thousand bridges and 22.0% of them being deficient. This is all according to the FHWA. This also shows that states with a small amount of bridges have easier consistent maintenance resulting in a lower percentage of deficient bridges. States such as Oklahoma should prioritize their bridges as opposed to Nevada. Oklahoma and states at the top of the list would be advised to follow in Oregons footsteps and incorporate a bridge program. Conclusion With one in nine bridges turning out to be structurally bridges and the average age of bridge approaching the intended design life, the issue will only progressively get worse. Its imperative that this problem gets nipped in the bud to prevent another Mississippi Bridge or Skagit River Bridge collapse. Bridges are important for the intended purposes of getting across obstacles to ensure safe and quick travel. Most politicians do not notice the unintentional effects that it contributes to, thus they go blind to the fact that bridges and other infrastructure are an important part in society and economy: paving way to more jobs and more production. Without the constant maintenance of bridges, disasters will happen such as the Mississippi river collapse, disrupting economy and creating casualty. It is important that higherups realize this and take action to ensure the American citizens safety and benefit the American economy. These steps may include the advice previously suggested or newer alternatives to current bridge design. However despite this research it is unknown how to update these bridges to develop a longer lasting design life. This is a question for future for civil engineers, including

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

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myself to solve. This is why it is the responsibility of politicians to provide more funds in the aid of these bridges, and the American people urge them to do so. If everyone does their role, structurally deficient bridges will be a thing of the past and the forgotten reliability in the American bridge will be blossom.

Running Head: BRIDGE CRISIS

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References "2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure." 2013 Report Card for Americas Infrastructure. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/ "Bridges & Structures." National Bridge Inventory (NBI). N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm Cohen, T. "Obama Follows up on past Call to Bolster U.S. Infrastructure." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 March. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Evans-Pughe, C. 2009. "Bridge of sighs." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 4, no. 20: 6971. Federal Highway Administration." Federal Highway Administration. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Governor Pawlenty declares peacetime emergency, activates state emergency operations center, August 2, 2007, N.p., n.d., Web. 10 Apr. 2014. Sofge, E., Coburn, D., Hutchinson, A., Masamitsu, E., McCarthy, E., & Scottberg, E. The work starts here. Popular Mechanics, 185(5), 60-75. Wilson, B. (2013). Some truth. Roads & Bridges, 51(5), 22-26. Zeyher, A. (2013). Straining to maintain. Roads & Bridges, 51(7), 16-20. (2008).