CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 26, 2008) – Two Guilford County bridges in Greensboro and one bridge in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, rank as North Carolina’s worst bridges, according to AAA Carolinas.

The top-ranked bridge, spanning South Buffalo Creek, in Guilford County is located at the intersection of Interstates 40 Business and 85 Business. Built in 1955, it has an average weekly traffic of 819,900. No state work is scheduled on it but bridge traffic is expected to decrease dramatically due to the opening last week of the Greensboro Western Urban Loop.

Forsyth County has the number two bridge -- ranked in the top two for the eighth straight year -- a 52-year-old structure that carries 476,000 vehicles a week over State Route 4315. The bridge is scheduled for replacement in 2013.

The bridges are included in an annual ranking of the state’s top 20 substandard bridges, compiled by AAA Carolinas. (See Top 20 chart attached)

The analysis found the number of 2007 state substandard bridges, 5,602 out of 18,042, slightly higher than last year’s 5,501 out of 17,971, but state repair and maintenance funding remained stagnant.

Third through fifth worst substandard bridges are:

• The US Highway 220 bridge over US 220 SBL and SR 1492 in Guilford County (39-years-old, carries 343,000 vehicles a week). No state work is scheduled on it.
  
• The I-440 bridge over SR 3007 and Southern Railroad in Wake County (47-years-old, carries 588,000 vehicles a week). The bridge is part of a lane-widening project to be posted in 2009.
  
• The US Highway 17 bridge over New River in Onslow County  (64-years-old, carries 378,000 vehicles a week). The bridge is scheduled for replacement next year.

North Carolina ranks high nationally in its number of substandard bridges with 31 percent; only nine states ranked worse and two others had the same percentage. Neighboring states have much lower percentages of substandard bridges, including: South Carolina and Virginia both with 23 percent, Georgia with 20 percent, and Tennessee with 19 percent.

None of North Carolina’s substandard bridges pose an immediate safety problem for motorists at this time.

The average age of AAA’s top 20 substandard bridges, which carry a total of 6.5 million vehicle miles weekly, is now 50 years old. This year, NC DOT has posted weight restrictions on 4,392  bridges -- an increase from last year of almost 500 bridges with weight restrictions. Weight restrictions do not necessarily mean a bridge is substandard.

NC DOT spent $67 million on bridge and structure maintenance and replaced 99 bridges last year at a cost of $200 million, in addition to using $25 million, in the past few years, from the NC Moving Ahead funding for bridge work.

This year, NC DOT estimates that $350 million would be needed to meet all maintenance and repair needs and $2.5 billion would be needed to replace all substandard bridges.

Counties with the highest number of substandard bridges are Guilford (five out of the top 20), Forsyth (three out of top 20), and Buncombe, Cumberland, New Hanover, and Wake, each with two out of the top 20 substandard bridges

The five counties with the highest percentage of substandard bridges are Burke, Cabarrus, Macon, Transylvania, and Scotland. The counties with the smallest percentage of substandard bridges are Wilson, Richmond, Pender, Gates, and Jones.

Those counties with fewest substandard bridges are Tyrell, Gates, Jones, Perquimans and Currituck. Tyrrell and Gates have just five each

“It is less expensive to keep bridges in good repair than to replace them,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “While we know the legislature is under financial strain, postponing maintenance and repairs is only building an increasingly worse situation for the state’s transportation infrastructure. The future financial pain may be severe.”

“Maintaining the condition and safety of our bridges remains a top priority for NCDOT,” Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett said.  “We have a strong bridge inspection and maintenance program, and we are continuing to bolster our efforts and further ensure the integrity of North Carolina’s infrastructure both now and in the future."

NC DOT identifies bridges in need of repair through an aggressive inspection and analysis program. Each bridge is inspected every two years and if a structure is determined to be in urgent need of repair, corrective action begins as soon as possible

Substandard bridges are officially classified under federal guidelines as “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete.” AAA Carolinas assigns extra weight to traffic volume to highlight the bridges that affect the most motorists.

“Structurally deficient” is defined as being in relatively poor physical condition and/or inadequate to handle traffic demands. “Functionally obsolete” is defined as having inadequate design for current traffic volume. States inspect bridges biannually to determine their condition. Of North Carolina’s substandard bridges, 13 percent are structurally deficient, higher than the 10.9 percent national average, and 18 percent are functionally obsolete, higher than the 13 percent national average

In order to qualify for federal aid replacement funds, a bridge must score under 50 on a 100-point scale.  A bridge may also qualify for federal aid rehabilitation funds if it scores under 80 on a 100-point scale

A 21st Century Transportation Committee appointed by the state legislature is looking at ways to provide funding to deal with the state’s looming transportation infrastructure crisis. In addition to its bridge network, North Carolina’s roads are also in worse shape than any contiguous neighboring state, according to federal statistics.

An affiliate of the American Automobile Association, AAA Carolinas was founded in 1922 as a not-for-profit organization that now serves nearly 1.6 million members with travel, automobile and insurance services while being an advocate for the safety and security of travelers.
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