SOME BAD BRIDGES
PennDOT: 108 local bridges 'structurally deficient'

Although PennDOT inspections have found 81 bridges in Potter County and another 27 in Cameron County to be structurally deficient, officials insist that the bridges are safe -- for now.

PennDOT had its public relations machine in high gear after the Aug. 1 fatal bridge collapse in Minneapolis, assuring the public that the state's bridges are safe, but emphasizing the need for hundreds of millions of dollars in investments to keep them that way.

Bridge projects in Potter, Cameron, Elk and McKean counties are ranked as part of a regional plan compiled by the Ridgway-based Northcentral Pa. Regional Planning and Development Commission.

Northcentral works with PennDOT and county planning departments. The county organizations rank all of the bridge projects submitted by townships and boroughs.

State law requires that all bridges be inspected every two years. Those with structural problems are inspected more frequently. Townships and boroughs must pay 20 percent of the cost for repair or replacement of municipal owned bridges.

PennDOT offers low-interest loans to help local governments cover their share. Even so, many townships and boroughs cannot afford their 20 percent share and, in some cases, they're forced to close a bridge rather than fix it.

Fewer than 10 bridges in Northcentral's eight-county region are replaced in an average year. It usually takes at least five years for funds to be approved even after a local bridge project has made the cut. Exceptions are made in the event of an emergency or if there are no alternative routes to reach residences.

As an interim measure, PennDOT or local governments can place weight restrictions on bridges or limit traffic to one lane.

Pennsylvania has the largest number of structurally deficient bridges in the nation, with the average age of bridges being 50 years. The state spent $558 million for repair or replacement of 894 bridges in 2006. Still, nearly 6,000 of Pennsylvania's 25,000 bridges are structurally deficient. Approximately 800 have weight or lane restrictions and 54 are closed.