Every day more than 2.5 million drivers travel over Hudson Valley bridges that are poor or structurally deficient and in need of serious repairs, according to a transportation report released today.

It's an issue that transportation and business officials are highlighting, and legislators in Westchester County are making it a priority.

The report from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, found that 13% of bridges in the Hudson Valley have significant deterioration of the bridge deck, supports or other major components.

Such dismal bridge conditions can close roads or limit maximum weights on them, which can force drivers to seek alternate routes that lengthen travel time, waste fuel and reduce economic efficiency, according to TRIP.

"The condition of the Hudson Valley's bridges is unacceptable and addressing needed repairs is of critical importance to the safety of the region's residents and vitality of its businesses," Mike Oates, president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, said in a TRIP press release.

TRIP's report covered Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster and Westchester counties. In that region, 13% of bridges are in poor condition or are structurally deficient, according to TRIP.

The nine most heavily traveled bridges in the Hudson Valley that are poor or structurally deficient are in Westchester and Rockland, TRIP said.

Those bridges include five sections of Interstate 87, in Clarkstown, Nyack, Chestnut Ridge and Ramapo; the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon; the Saw Mill River Parkway in Yonkers; the Saw Mill River Parkway in Dobbs Ferry; and the Cross County Parkway in Yonkers.

Those nine bridges were all built between 1927 and 1983, TRIP said.

Six of the 10 bridges in the Hudson Valley with the worst ratings — which include ratings for decks, substructures and superstructures — are in Westchester and Rockland. The deck is the portion of the bridge that directly carries traffic; the superstructure supports the deck and connects one substructure element to another; and the substructure supports the superstructure and distributes all bridge loads to below-ground bridge footings, according to TRIP.

Those include East Third Street in Mount Vernon, Tompkins Avenue in Mamaroneck, Route 100C in Greenburgh, College Road in Ramapo, Waverly Avenue in Mamaroneck, and South Fulton Avenue in Mount Vernon. Those bridges were built between 1900 and 1956.

Members of TRIP, the Business Council of Westchester, AAA New York, and the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Inc., were meeting in Rye Brook at 1 p.m. today to discuss the region's road problems and how to fix them.

John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of the Business Council of Westchester, said in TRIP's press release that "we continue to urge Albany and Washington to make infrastructure funding a top priority."

Westchester tackling bridges

Westchester is taking steps to prioritize bridge repairs. County legislators voted Monday to approve almost $37 million in design and construction work to bridges, mostly on the county-owned Bronx River Parkway.

The bridge projects are:

$1.2 million for a 1920 Bronx River Parkway bridge in Scarsdale north of Green Acres;

$1.5 million for design work on a 1923 Bronx River Parkway bridge and three culverts north of the Westchester County Center in Greenburgh

$4.6 million for 1921 and 1925 Bronx River Parkway bridges on either side of Leewood Drive in Eastchester;

$5.54 million for a 1960 bridge at Grant Avenue over Central Westchester Parkway in White Plains;

$1 million for design and construction management for a 1919 bridge at Greenwich Road over the Mianus River in Bedford;

$8.3 million for a 1922 bridge at Main Street over the Bronx River, which is a state grant;

$8.7 million for a 1952 bridge at Sherwood Avenue over the Bronx River in Yonkers; and

$6 million for a 1954 bridge at Oak Street over the Bronx River in Yonkers.

County legislators are considering another $5 million worth of bonds for such work, and on Monday they referred those bonds to committee.

That $5 million would include repairs for these bridges: Scarsdale Road in Tuckahoe, Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale, the Cross County Parkway ramp in Mount Vernon, the Stone Place Access Road to the Bronx River Parkway in Yonkers, the BRP near River Road in Scarsdale, and Midland Avenue in Yonkers, all of which cross the Bronx River; Thompson Street in Yonkers, which crosses the Bronx River Parkway; and Westerleigh Road in Rye Brook, which crosses Blind Brook.

READ: TRIP report on Hudson Valley bridges

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Twitter: @MattSpillane