1 in 4 PA Bridges Structurally Deficient

A new report ranks Pennsylvania dead-last, when it comes to the percentage of bridges that are structurally deficient.

The Transportation for America study shows nearly 27 percent of its bridges – a total of nearly 6,000 – have problems. Oklahoma is the runner-up, at 22 percent.

Governor Corbett acknowledged it’s a problem, but said funding repairs needs to take a back seat to the budget, right now. “Are we trying to…find the funds for it? Yes. But I will go back, and you’ve heard me say it repeatedly: we inherited a $4.3 billion deficit that we have to resolve.” The Republican wants to fund efforts through privatization, and blamed his predecessors for not acting to fix infrastructure problems.

Governor Rendell disputed that take, saying he put a lot of effort into fixing roadways, beginning with 2007’s Act 44. “It was probably the most historic step in investment transportation funding in the history of the commonwealth,” he said Tuesday. “We had a $400 million bond issue that I pushed through for our bridges, as you recall. Even before that $400 million bridge initiative, I tripled the amount of spending on our bridges from $250 to $750 million, on an annual basis.” But the federal government rejected a key portion of Act 44’s funding plan when it denied a request to toll I-80. Rendell spent his final months in office urging lawmakers to pass a gas tax to fund infrastructure repair, but the initiative never gained momentum. He did, however, oversee over $1 billion in federal stimulus expenditures on roads and bridges in 2009 AND 2010.

Birmingham Bridge Repairs Begin Today

PennDOT crews began working today to repair the Birmingham Bridge which was damaged when a 60-foot pier shifted this winter. Problems began February 8 when the superstructure on the southbound lanes shifted downward and, after inspection, it was determined the bridge pier had moved as well. PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi says there was no way to predict the bridge shift. Traffic will not be impacted while repairs are made to the northbound pier nor while the rocker-bearing system is replaced by neoprene pads. In December, when work begins on the southbound pier, lanes will shift, but traffic will remain a single lane in each direction. Southbound work includes the removal and replacement of the 1,050 ton pier. In response to the Birmingham Bridge incident, PennDOT has begun inspecting the other 1,741 bridges in its district 11 region. Of those, 241 have similar rocker-bearing systems. 5 bridges in the district with that system are currently being addressed.

Birmingham Bridge Reopening

PennDot press officer Jim Struzzi said the Birmingham Bridge might reopen one lane in each direction as early as late next week. the temporary traffic pattern would be on the southbound lane of the bridge. the bridge has been inspected and no other repairs are needed. PennDot also inspected the Neville island bridge which is of similar design, and found no problems. The total reopening of the bridge might not come for months as the northbound side is retrofitted to prevent a similar occurrence.

PennDot says Birmingham Bridge needs more work

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation engineers say they will have to replace a bearing system on the Birmingham bridge that failed Feb 8 causing a portion of the span to drop 8 inches. crews are now shoring up the span and designing a new bearing system. Penn Dot Dist. 11 Executive Dan Cessna says design work and weather will determine how fast repairs can be made but the goal is still to get half of the bridge open by the last week of Feb. At first only the south bound side of the bridge will be open with one lane in each direction. The rest of the bridge has been inspected and Cessna says it is safe. A similar bridge on I-79 over Nevil island has also been inspected and deemed safe. The cause of the 8-inch drop has not yet been determined.

Birmingham Bridge Closed for 2 Weeks

The bridge connecting Oakland to the South Side of Pittsburgh will remain closed while crews work to repair the southbound bridgespan and pier, after part of the deck dropped nearly 8 inches early Friday morning.
PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi says crews are now erecting temporary shoring towers to take weight off of the 60-foot pier while they inspect under the bridge and see what repairs and replacements are needed. There is no cost estimate at this time. A complete re-inspection is nearly completed, showing a structurally sound bridge, and the dropped span is an isolated incident.
Struzzi says PennDOT was alerted to the problem after a 9-1-1 call reported a bulge on the bridge. Once the magnitude of the damage was known, the bridge was completely closed. A girder slipped off a rocker bearing, which allows the bridge to respond to temperature changes. Struzzi says nearly every bridge has rocker bearings, and there are very few problems with them that can't be anticipated by inspections.