How many of Pa.’s bridges are structurally deficient?

Pennsylvania has more than 25,000 state-owned bridges, and about 4,100, or 16 percent of them, are “structurally deficient,” according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The numbers are worse if you include the state’s 6,400 locally-owned bridges, 35 percent of which are structurally deficient.

Two in a series explaining Pennsylvania’s structurally deficient bridges.

How many of Pa.’s bridges are structurally deficient?

Pennsylvania has more than 25,000 state-owned bridges, and about 4,100, or 16 percent of them, are “structurally deficient,” according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The numbers are worse if you include the state’s 6,400 locally-owned bridges, 35 percent of which are structurally deficient.

How do those numbers compare to other states?

Pennsylvania has the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges of any state, followed by Rhode Island and Iowa, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.

The FHWA defines bridges differently than PennDOT does, excluding smaller bridges and combining data from state- and locally-owned structures. Under its definition, 23 percent of the state’s bridges were structurally deficient as of December 2013. The national average is 10 percent.

Where are the structurally deficient bridges located?

McKean, Indiana and Potter counties have the most state-owned structurally deficient bridges in Pennsylvania, according to data from PennDOT.

Structurally deficient state bridges, by county | Create Infographics

Pike, Clinton and Lackawanna counties have the highest percentage of structurally deficient local bridges in the state.

Structurally deficient local bridges, by county | Create Infographics

  

 

Did this article answer all your questions about Pennsylvania’s structurally deficient bridges? If not, you can reach Marielle Segarra via email at msegarra@whyy.org or through social media @MarielleSegarra. Have a topic on which you’d like us to do an Explainer?  Let us know in the comment section below, or on Twitter @PaCrossroads.