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1 [1] (March 6, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaafbc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CRS Insights Deficient Bridge Count Drops Again William J. Mallett, Specialist in Transportation Policy (wrn lettrs.I.g, 7-2216) March 6, 2015 (IN10241) Recent news reports on the condition of highway bridges, based on newly released data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), generally focus on the large number of bridges classified as deficient or on an increase in deficient bridges in a particular state. These reports, however, tend not to address the overall decline in the number of deficient bridges in 2014 and the long-term downward trend, particularly among bridges posing structural safety concerns. Two Types of Problem Bridges FHWA's National Bridge Inventory classifies deficient bridges in two categories: structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. FHWA considers a bridge to be structurallydefficient if significant load- carrying elements are found to be in poor or worse condition due to deterioration and/or damage, or if the adequacy of the waterway opening provided by the bridge is determined to be extremely insufficient to the point of causing intolerable traffic interruptions. Structurally deficient bridges are the ones whose physical condition poses the greatest risks to motorists' safety. FHWA considers a bridge to be functionally obsolete if it does not meet current design standards or traffic demands. This could be because it handles more traffic than it was built to carry, because its lanes or shoulders are narrower than those that would be built today, because the overhead clearance is inadequate, or because the roadway curve in the approach to the bridge is too extreme. Such problems can pose significant operational safety concerns for motorists. Functional obsolescence is typically related to growing traffic demands on a bridge. In some cases, FHWA deems a bridge to be functionally obsolete because it was built prior to adoption of current standards and has not been updated to comply with those standards. FHWA data indicate that the number of structurally deficient bridges in the United States declined by about 2,000 during 2014, to roughly 61,000. This continues the downward trend that has cut the number of structurally deficient bridges by half since 1992. The share of highway bridges that were structurally deficient at the end of 2014 was 10%. This figure has declined every year since 1992, when 22% of highway bridges were structurally deficient (Figure 1). Figure 1. Highway Bridges Classified as Structurally Deficient, 1992-2014 40% Total, Structurally Deficdent/ MIX - Functionally Obsolete Bridges { C 1-r1~ol~b 1992 1994 1996 19ce 8 by 200 0 from4 2006ra 200 1i 0isi 12 2J14 Source: Graphic created by CRS from Federal Highway Administration, Niational

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