Conditions and Performance Chapter Listing

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Introduction

Summary

Road Conditions

Bridge Conditions

Transit System Conditions

Bridge Deficiencies by Jurisdiction

As Chapter 2 explained, ownership of bridges is divided among Federal, State, and local governments and private companies (including railroads). State and local governments own the majority of bridges, 46.9 percent and 51.2 percent respectively. The remaining 1.9 percent includes bridges owned by the Federal Government or private companies, and bridges for which ownership is unknown or not coded in the NBI.

Exhibit 3-22 shows there are significant differences in bridge deficiencies by level of government. Of the 298,222 bridges owned by local governments, 99,503 (33.4 percent) are deficient. This represents 57.7 percent of the total number of deficient bridges, 172,572. Although private companies own only 2,278 bridges, 0.4 percent of the total, 53.9 percent of these bridges are deficient. Of federally owned bridges, only 23.8 percent are deficient.

Exhibit 3-22. Bridges: Percent Deficient, by Ownership, 1998

Exhibit 3-23

Ownership of Structurally Deficient Bridges, 1998

Exhibit 3-24

Ownership of Functionally Obsolete Bridges, 1998

Exhibit 3-22 also shows that the majority of deficiencies on bridges owned by local governments are structural. However, for State and federally owned bridges, the majority of the deficiencies are functional. Exhibits 3-23 and 3-24 clarify this difference. Local governments own 69.3 percent of structurally deficient bridges, but only 44.0 percent of functionally obsolete bridges. State governments own the majority (53.6 percent) of functionally obsolete bridges.