Thousands drive over substandard bridges daily

By Cindy Landrum  

MAY 11, 2012 8:58 a.m. (0)

Four bridges in Greenville and Spartanburg counties – which together carry more than three-quarters of a million vehicles a week – are among the state’s most substandard.

The four bridges – two on Interstate 85 in Spartanburg County and two on U.S. 29 in Greenville County – made the state’s list of top 20 substandard bridges because they don’t meet federal standards for design or structural integrity, according to data compiled by the South Carolina Department of Transportation and AAA Carolinas.

Twenty percent of the state’s bridges – 1,880 in total – fail to meet U.S. Department of Transportation standards and are considered substandard.

However, that doesn’t mean they are unsafe for use, said South Carolina Secretary of Transportation Robert St. Onge.

“All South Carolina open bridges are safe for use by the motoring public within whatever restrictions are posted,” he said.

Some of the substandard bridges are classified as “structurally deficit,” meaning the bridge is in relatively poor physical condition or inadequate to handle truck weight. Others are categorized as “functionally obsolete,” meaning the design is inadequate to handle current traffic volume.

Each of the state’s bridges are inspected biannually.

The state DOT compiles a list of those that are substandard according to federal standards in the categories of structural integrity, design, function in the local community and economy, importance as a public safety route and whether the bridge is on an evacuation route. AAA Carolinas uses that information and an average daily traffic formula to select the top 20 substandard bridges affecting the largest number of motorists.

A 54-year-old bridge in Richland County was ranked the state’s worst bridge for the 11th time. The bridge on Interstate 26 that passes over the CN&L Railroad is rated structurally deficient. It carries more than half a million vehicles a week.

The Spartanburg County bridges in the AAA Carolinas top-20 substandard list – I-85 and Buffington Road and I-85 over Howard Street – were not ranked in 2011. Both were built in 1959. Both bridges carry 32,200 vehicles per day.

The Greenville County bridges in the Top 20 are both on U.S. 29, one over Mountain Creek and the other over the Enoree River. Both are less than five miles from Greer, were built in 1939 and handle 31,000 vehicles per day.

One hundred forty-four Greenville County bridges and 140 in Spartanburg County made the AAA Carolinas substandard list.

The state DOT estimates it needs $200 million a year for bridge maintenance, repair and replacement. It would take $2 billion to replace or repair all of the state’s substandard bridges, according to AAA Carolinas.

South Carolina’s gas tax is the main funding source for the state DOT. It hasn’t changed since 1987.

“It’s less expensive to keep bridges in good repair than it is to replace them,” said David Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “The state Legislature needs to step up and find a way to increase revenue streams South Carolina’s bridges and highways clearly need.”

The average age of the top 20 substandard bridges is 57 years old.

Comments

Add New

Leave a Comment
Comments are moderated and may not be posted immediately.
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."