1 in 9 Bridges (70k or 11% of total) in need of repair - US infrastructure once best in world now decaying

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1 Out of Every 9 Bridges in the US Is Structurally Deficient
There are about 630,000 bridges in the United States, ranging from impressive new structural creations like Margaret Hunt Hill bridge in Dallas to deteriorating slabs of concrete in desperate need repair. It's that last growing group of bridges, ports, and highways that represent the slowing decaying infrastructure that was once the best in the world.

In a new 60 Minutes report, host Steve Kroft lays down some knowledge that, for all of us bridge-traveling, highway-driving citizens, would be pretty alarming: 1 out of every 9 bridges are in various degrees of disrepair. That's around 70,000 bridges total if you're keeping track. This isn't exactly startlingly new information, an AP report last year reported similar numbers. That doesn't mean all of these structures are on the verge of collapse with every passing car, train, or pedestrian, but it does mean they are in desperate need of TLC in the form of billions and billions of dollars—money that just doesn't exist.

With infrastructure that used to be a global leader, the U.S. now sits in 12th place according to a Global Competitiveness report, and with no plan to raise more funds for a major infrastructure overhaul, there's reason to expect that ranking will plunge further. Bridges are only part of the problem. 60 Minutes also highlights that one-third of the country's highways need attention, commuter rail is laughable in comparison to countries like Japan, and seaports are also woefully unprepared for a new generation of container ships. Great infrastructure doesn't require much thought from the public, because it just works—day-in and day-out. But when great turns to poor, that's when you get delays, economic failure, and even fatalities. Besides, in addition to saving lives, new bridges just look cool. [60 Minutes via Gothamist.

A new study finds that 260 million people a day cross bridges in the USA that are structurally deficient. More than one in nine bridges in the USA — at least 66,405, or 11% of the total — are structurally deficient, according to a new report.

These are not rarely used, out-of-the way structures: Each day, Americans take 260 million trips over structurally deficient bridges, says the report from Transportation for America, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition that works to improve transportation.
The report comes less than a month after the May 23 collapse of a span of the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River in Washington state. Part of the bridge collapsed when it was struck by a truck with an oversize load. That bridge, built in 1955, was not structurally deficient. The structurally deficient bridges are 65 years old on average, and the Federal Highway Administration estimates that repairing them would cost $76 billion. A structurally deficient bridge isn't necessarily one that's dangerous or about to collapse; rather, they are bridges that require significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.

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