Adam Duvernay

The News Journal

A national report released Thursday found 48 of the First State's 875 bridges in 2014 were considered structurally deficient, a technical rating indicating one or more key element is in poor condition.

At least 10 percent of the nation's bridges received that rating.

Study: 58,000 U.S. bridges found to be 'structurally deficient'

The largest portion of those in Delaware are bridges attached to local roads, which do not carry through traffic and are intended for short-distance travel. Twenty-one of 198 local bridges were rated structurally deficient, and those crossings see about 14,800 drivers a day.

A structurally deficient rating does not mean a bridge is necessarily unsafe, but certain pieces of it — from guard rails to super structure — are in need of some level of repair. The state also has 129 bridges that are functionally obsolete, meaning they were not built with design standards in current practice.

The data used to make the American Road and Transportation Builders Association report came from 2014 information DelDOT sent to the Federal Highway Administration. Some bridges classified as structurally deficient that year have since been fixed, according to DelDOT chief bridge engineer Barry Benton.

For example, Del. 141 over the Christiana River and the Amtrak line — the second-most-traveled structurally deficient bridge in the state — was suffering fatigue cracks in its steel beams in 2014, giving it a rating of structurally deficient, Benton said. Those beams have been repaired or replaced, he said.

The bridge on Dupont Highway over Baylor Boulevard at Farnhurst, the fourth-most-traveled bridge on the list, was replaced following the submission of 2014 data to the Federal Highway Administration, Benton said. The seventh most-traveled bridge, Milltown Road over Mill Creek at Milltown, had its bridge rehabilitated and its deck replaced in that time.

"Overall, Delaware bridges are in fairly good condition," Benton said. "Structurally deficient just means it needs attention. We're addressing all our structurally deficient bridges."

A plan for each bridge

Nothing in the report was a surprise, Benton said, because it was based on data DelDOT collected. He said his engineers and staff meet several times a year to address structurally deficient bridges, and he said there's a plan to repair or replace each of them.

DelDOT spokesman Geoff Sundstrom said the state budgets repairs before new construction takes place, and he said the capital budget is correctly funded, especially considering new Department of Motor Vehicles fees and borrowing authorization.

But the cost of road and bridge projects increases over time, both in terms of dollars necessary to complete a job and the frequency work is required as infrastructure ages. Flat and declining fuel tax revenues don't help.

"We do need to be looking toward the future," Sundstrom said.

The list of bridges in need remains active, and many are old and aging beyond their 50-year lifespans.

The Interstate 95 northbound bridge over Del. 1 is the state's most-traveled bridge in the report, supporting nearly 87,600 motorists every day. The bridge was built in 1963, and is scheduled for rehabilitation and deck replacement in fiscal year 2017. Benton said the state wants to tackle that project in one month.

The bridge is listed as functionally obsolete, but DelDOT reports aren't sure why.

The Dupont Boulevard Bridge over Iron Branch in Sussex County won't see work until fiscal 2018, according to DelDOT, but will include replacement of the oldest section of the crossing. That bridge, built in 1916 and supporting 26,630 motorists a day, is the state's third-most-traveled deficient bridge.

And where Chapman Road crosses over I-95 east of Newark, a project to replace the 53-year-old bridge is scheduled to begin in fiscal 2019. That bridge, ninth-most-traveled on the list, only recently entered the design phase.

According to the report, DelDOT is planning 154 bridge replacement projects at an estimated cost of $288 million; 20 widening and rehabilitation projects at an expected cost of $12.2 million; 137 rehabilitation projects at a cost of $335 million; and has 25 "other work" bridge projects which will cost $16 million.

National figures are worse

With about 5 percent of First State bridges classified as structurally deficient, Delaware is on the low-end of the spectrum of the country's problems.

Of the nation's 609,539 bridges, 58,495 (10 percent) were reported as structurally deficient last year. That's 2,574 fewer than was reported the year before.

In Rhode Island, 178 of its 766 bridges (23 percent) are structurally deficient, giving it the nation's No. 1 ranking by percentage.

Pennsylvania (21 percent), Iowa (20.7 percent), Oklahoma (16.4 percent) and North Dakota (16 percent) also top the list. Parts of I-95 in Pennsylvania and Maryland are among the top most-traveled bridges in need of repair.

Louisiana, which has more than 13,000 bridges, lists 14 percent of them as structurally deficient. The Bayou State has plans to replace 3,321 of them, but very little of the $4 billion that it would cost is available, according to the report.

Contact Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2785.​

Delaware most-traveled structurally deficient bridges (based on 2014 Federal Highway Administration reports)

Bridge: I-95 NB over SR1/Korean War Vet Memorial north of Christiana (New Castle)

Built: 1963

Type: Urban Interstate

Daily Crossings: 87,566

DelDot analysis: "This bridge is programmed for construction later this year (FY17). Work will include rehab of the bridge and replacement of the deck using ABC methods and precast deck panels. I don’t know why it is listed as FO. It is an extremely wide bridge."

Bridge: DEL 141 over Christina River, Amtrak, SR 4 at Newport (New Castle)

Built: 1978

Type: Urban and other principal arterial

Daily Crossings: 66,125

Note: DelDOT reports this bridge has been fixed since the 2014 data was submitted

DelDot analysis: "Bridge is no longer SD. The improvements are not reflected in the data set used for this report."

Bridge: US 113/Dupont Boulevard over Iron Branch at South Millsboro (Sussex)

Built: 1916

Type: Rural arterial

Daily Crossings: 26,630

DelDot analysis: "This project is programmed for construction in FY18. Work includes replacement of the oldest section of the bridge which is SD."

Bridge: Dupont Highway / US13 over Baylor Boulevard at Farnhurst (New Castle)

Built: 1958

Type: Urban other principal arterial

Daily Crossings: 22,535

Note: DelDOT reports this bridge has been fixed since the 2014 data was submitted

DelDot analysis: "This bridge was recently replaced with a culvert. The culvert was constructed under the bridge and then the bridge was removed over the weekend. Bridge is no longer SD. The improvements are not reflected in the data set used for this report."

Bridge: Harmony Road over White Clay Creek north of Ogletown (New Castle)

Built: 1973

Type: Urban collector

Daily Crossings: 19,223

DelDot analysis: "This project is in design and is programmed for construction in FY18. Work includes a bridge rehabilitation and deck replacement."

Bridge: Foulk Road/DEL261 over South Branch Naamans Ck north of Wilmington (New Castle)

Built: 1965

Type: Urban minor arterial

Daily Crossings: 15,224

DelDot analysis: "This is a superstructure replacement. It is currently under construction."

Bridge: Milltown Road over Mill Creek at Milltown (New Castle)

Built: 1959

Type: Urban minor arterial

Daily Crossings: 11,239

Note: DelDOT reports this bridge has been fixed since the 2014 data was submitted

DelDot analysis: "A construction project to rehab the bridge and replace the deck was just completed. Comments: Bridge is no longer SD. The improvements are not reflected in the data set used for this report."

Bridge: US Route 13 over C & D Canal at 4.5 miles west of Reedy Pt. (Kent)

Built: 1941

Type: Rural arterial

Daily Crossings: 10,208

DelDot analysis: "US 13 over the C&D Canal, Error lists this bridge in Kent County. This is the St. Georges Bridge, which is owned by the ACOE."

Bridge: Chapman Road over I-95, Delaware Turnpike at east of Newark (New Castle)

Built: 1963

Type: Urban minor arterial

Daily Crossings: 9,817

DelDot analysis: "A project to replace the bridge has been initiated and is just beginning design. Construction is programmed for FY19."

Bridge: Greenbank Road over Red Clay Creek at northwest of Prices Corner (New Castle)

Built: 1975

Type: Urban collector

Daily Crossings: 8,700

DelDot analysis: "A project to rehab the bridge and replace the deck has been initiated and is in design. Construction is programmed for FY19."

Bridge: Dupont Parkway/US13 SB over Blackbird Creek north of Blackbird (New Castle)

Built: 1920

Type: Rural minor arterial

Daily Crossings: 8,441

Bridge: 12th Street over Norfolk Southern at Wilmington (New Castle)

Built: 1977

Type: Urban other principal arterial

Daily Crossings: 6,203

Bridge: Carr Road over Shellpot Creek north of Wilmington (New Castle)

Built: 1934

Type: Urban collector

Daily Crossings: 6,023

Bridge: Nine Foot Road over Wharton S Branch at west of Dagsboro (Sussex)

Built: 1970

Type: Rural major collector

Daily Crossings: 5,444

Bridge: DEL 26/Nine Foot Road over Wharton Branch ditch at west of Dagsboro (Sussex)

Built: 1970

Type: Rural major collector

Daily Crossings: 5,444

Bridge: DEL 299/Main Street over Appoquinimink River at S/E Odessa Limits (New Castle)

Built: 1991

Type: Rural major collector

Daily Crossings: 4,975

Bridge: Ramp SR141N to DEL 4 over Ayre Street at Newport (New Castle)

Built: 1978

Type: Urban other principal arterial

Daily Crossings: 4,675

Bridge: DEL 4 to DEL 141 S over Ayres St at Newport (New Castle)

Built: 1978

Type: Urban other principal arterial

Daily Crossings: 4,675

Bridge: Robinsonville Road over Love Creek at south of Nassua (Sussex)

Built: 1991

Type: Rural local road

Daily Crossings: 4,065

Bridge: James Street over Christina River at Newport Bridge (New Castle)

Built: 1929

Type: Urban local road

Daily Crossings: 3,727

Bridge: Old Kennet Pike Road over Waterway at N. of Owls Nest Estates (New Castle)

Built: 1988

Type: Rural major collector

Daily Crossings: 3,034

Bridge: Irish Hill Road over Thorndyk ditch at S.W. of Magnolia (Kent)

Built: 1989

Type: Rural minor collector

Daily Crossings: 2,539

Bridge: Old Newark Road over Cool Run at S/E of Newark (New Castle)

Built: 1968

Type: Urban collector

Daily Crossings: 2,534

Bridge: Delaware Rt. 9 over C&D Canal (Branch) at 1/8 miles north of Reedy Point (New Castle)

Built: 1933

Type: Rural arterial

Daily Crossings: 2,224

Bridge: Denneys Road over Fork Branch north of Dover (Kent)

Built: 1987

Type: Urban collector

Daily Crossings: 1,932