Are the Bridges You Use Safe?

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has released the list of sufficiency ratings for more than 25,000 bridges statewide. To be included, a bridge needs to be state-maintained, and 8ft or longer in length. Each bridge is assigned a sufficiency rating and three condition rating numbers.

The sufficiency rating is a composite number rating on a scale from 0 to 100 (with 0 being worst and 100 being best) to note a bridge's overall capability. Fifty-five percent of the rating is based on structural condition, 30 percent on the bridge's ability to meet current traffic conditions, and 15 percent is based on how essential the bridge is for public use. The sufficiency rating (SR) is used to determine eligibility for federal bridge funds. Some of the worst Allegheny County offenders include the Boulevard of the Allies over Forbes Avenue which achieved a sufficiency rating of 2 (out of a possible 100!); the Greensburg Pike bridge over Route 30, which also achieved a SR of 2; and the 31st Street Bridge over the Allegheny River has a sufficiency rating of 11 (guess that's why it is being repaired).

A condition rating is also assigned to each of three components per bridge: the bridge deck, the superstructure, and the piers. Each component is assigned a condition rating from 0 to 9, with 0 being the worst (and meaning that the bridge is closed) and 9 being the best. A bridge is classified as structurally deficient and in need of repair when one or more of the three components receives a condition rating of 4 or lower. A rating of 4 is "poor", indicating that the "deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced." A rating of 3 is a "serious" rating, indicating "deterioration has seriously affected the primary structural components." Many of the bridges classified as structurally deficient may have speed or weight limits placed on them. Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of bridges classified as "structurally deficient," although the state ranks third in number of bridges. The average age of bridges in the state system is 50 years old.

RideonPA.com has several interesting lists, including a county-by-county list of roads and bridges in need of repair. In Allegheny County, there are local roads in need of repair; local bridges in need of repair; and local bridges that are closed or weight-restricted because of their condition.