A structurally deficient bridge is safe, but in need of costly repairs or replacement to bring it to current standards. 

Despite a record level of investment since 2003, Pennsylvania has the largest number of structurally deficient bridges in the nation — nearly 6,000 statewide.

With 25,000 state-owned bridges, Pennsylvania has the third largest number of bridges in the nation, but we lead the nation in the number of bridges classified as “structurally deficient.” The average age of bridges on the state system is 50 years old.

Inspection Facts
PennDOT has an aggressive bridge inspection program that regularly inspects all of Pennsylvania’s bridges at least once every two years. Structurally deficient bridges are inspected more frequently if their condition warrants. We do not hesitate to impose weight restrictions and close bridges if deterioration causes safety concerns.

For example, following the bridge failure over I-70 in 2005, PennDOT quickly moved to inspect all similar bridges across the state. As a result, two nearby bridges over I-70 were immediately closed for repairs.

Record bridge investments

In the past four years, Pennsylvania has made significant state investments in our bridges. Last year, PennDOT invested an unprecedented $558 million in 894 bridge projects statewide with $133 million being spent on bridge preservation and the remaining $425 million devoted to rehabilitating and replacing structurally deficient bridges.

NOTE: Less than three dozen of Pennsylvania’s truss bridges have a similar design to the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. These are CONTINUOUS Deck Truss bridges, which essentially means that each span relies on each other for support.

This is different from Non-Continuous Deck Truss bridges, which means that each bridge span supports itself.

Because of this difference, there may be other bridges that “look” like the Minneapolis bridges, but they are not the same design.

LINKS:
 NEW List of 25 thousand bridges on State Routes and their sufficiency\condition Ratings

State-owned structurally deficient bridges Updated

Pennsylvania steel truss bridges similar to the Minneapolis bridge (includes sufficiency/condition ratings)