More than 8 million motorists drive over more that 2,200 Illinois bridges that are rated as “structurally deficient” and in need of immediate repair. So says a study released Tuesday by a Washington DC organization “calling for more responsible investment of our federal tax dollars” toward the nation’s transportation infrastructure.
The study — by Transportation for America — said the number of bridges is about 8.5 percent of the state’s bridges, and is less than the national average of 11.5 percent.
Via Greg Hinz at Crain’s Chicago Business
“None are in imminent danger of collapse, the group said in its study and at a North Side press conference. But those rated ‘structurally deficient’ have a “major defect” and require “significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.”
In such cases, “A state may restrict heavy vehicle traffic, conduct immediate repairs to allow unrestricted use or close the bridge to traffic until repairs can be completed.”
IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell on Tuesday told the Chicago Tribune the figures that Transportation for America used in compiling the study are dated and likely do not reflect the work that has been done on bridges as result of a massive multi-billion state capital plan that was launched in 2009.
Among the five busiest bridges deemed structurally deficient in the Transportation for America study were:
- Interstate 290 at Salt Creek in DuPage County
- The Congress Parkway Bridge
- Lake Shore Drive at Michigan Avenue
- Lake Shore Drive at Wilson Avenue
- Lake Shore Drive at Lawrence Avenues
In an August 2009 inspection, the Congress Parkway bridge received an overall rating of 2, which according to the Illinois Department of Transportation website left it “intolerable and a high priority for replacement,” work that has been ongoing for the last year and will continue through 2012.
And discussions have started regarding the re-construction of Lake Shore Drive and its many bridges and overpasses.
To discuss the study, Transportation for America and the Metropolitan Planning Council held a news conference at the Western Avenue overpass at Belmont Avenue, a struture highlighted in the study — though not as and slated to be torn down and reconstructed at road level.
Some local officials and residents have noted that the current structure, in addition to being unsafe, has been a strain on city finances due to the continual need for small patches and repairs. Alderman Eugene Schulter of Chicago’s 47th Ward said that since the overpass opened, “the city has spent money to fix falling concrete, the potholes, and there’s almost constant car accidents.”
Progress Illinois shot video of Brian Imus, the director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, talking about the Transportation for America study at Tuesday’s news conference.
Among the other tidbits from the study, titled “The Fix We’re In For: The State of Illinois’ Bridges”:
- – Illinois ranks 35th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of the
overall condition of the state’s bridges. The study considered a 1 as the worst rating, a 51 as the best. - – As of 2010, Illinois had 26,337 highway bridges: 7,746 of them owned by the state; 17,979 owned by local counties, cities and towns. Six-hundred-twelve were owned by private parties or federal agencies.
- – Of the 26,337 bridges, 12,239 were deemed structurally deficient.
- – The average age of a bridge in Illinois is 38.2 years old, which is younger than the national average.
- – Illinois has almost 7,000 bridges that are older than 50 years.
Of Illinois’ 102 counties, the average bridge condition was worse than the statewide average in 49 of them.
According to Federal Highway Adminstration guidelines, each bridge is rated on a 0-to-9 scale for its deck condition, superstructure condition — beams that hold up the bridge — and substructure condition — which include the piers and other elements that support the beams. Zero is the worst rating and requires the structure to be closed.
Structural deficiencies are characterized by deteriorated conditions of significant bridge elements and reduced load-carrying capacity.
Functional obsolescence is a function of the geometrics of the bridge not meeting current design standards. Neither type of deficiency indicates that a bridge is unsafe.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, a bridge is deemed “structurally deficient” if it has a condition rating of 4 or less for its deck, superstructure or substructure, or an appraisal rating of 2 or less for its structural evaluation or waterway adequacy.
Terms to know
Deck: Main driving surface.
Superstructure: The main load-carrying beams and other parts of the bridge.
Substructure: Piers, columns and other elements below the superstructure.