For decades bridge experts have pointed out the need to address aging bridge infrastructure. According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, 1 in 3 bridges in the U.S. need repairs or to be replaced.
Their report also says that over 40% of the country’s highway bridges are over 50 years old. Most of the country’s bridges were designed for a service life of approximately 50 years so as these structures reach that age, they are in need of more major repairs.
After the Scott Key Bridge collapse on Tuesday morning, these issues have been brought back to mind. In Monmouth County over 23% of our 508 bridges are in need of repair or corrective action. Bridges are generally inspected every 2 years by the National Bridge Inventory and reported to the Federal Highway Administration. Data shows that repairing America’s bridge infrastructure could take decades.