Missouri projected to see more bad bridges over next decade

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The number of Missouri bridges in poor condition is expected to rise dramatically over the next decade as state funding declines, the state's top bridge engineer said Tuesday.

Missouri's highways have about 600 bridges in critical condition that aren't in the state's five-year plan for improvements. That number is projected to rise to 1,000 within five years and 1,500 by 2024, State Bridge Engineer Dennis Heckman told members of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

The projected spike in bad bridges is largely because of an expected dropoff in state money available for construction contracts on roads and bridges.

The transportation department's construction budget was as large as $1.3 billion as recently as a few years ago, thanks to a surge from bond revenue.

But road and bridge contracts are budgeted at $720 million this year and are projected to fall to $325 million by 2017 and remain at that level.

Missouri voters in August defeated a proposed three-quarter-cent sales tax that would have raised at least $540 million annually for transportation for 10 years. State lawmakers haven't agreed on an alternative means of raising the money highway officials say is necessary to keep most of the state's roads and bridges in decent condition.

Missouri has closed five bridges because of their poor condition, including one shut down last month in Macon County over the Thomas Hill Reservoir after a heavy vehicle cracked a hole in the deck. Many more bridges are likely to be closed as the number of poor bridges increases, Heckman said.

"This is getting real for everybody," Heckman said, noting bridge closures can cause detours of anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours.

At Tuesday's meeting, the mayor of the northeastern Missouri town of Louisiana pleaded with commissioners to put the replacement of the aging U.S. 54 bridge over the Mississippi River at the top of its funding list. The bridge is among those rated as in "critical condition," just a couple of notches away from a mandatory closure.

"If we lose the bridge, that would all but eliminate Louisiana's potential for economic growth," Niedner said.

He said closing the bridge also would disrupt the social fabric of the rural area, separating relatives and friends who live on opposite sides of the river.

The U.S. 54 bridge replacement is estimated to cost $60 million. Illinois has approved its half of the cost, but Missouri cannot afford it, said Dave Nichols, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Michael Pace, one of the five members of the Missouri transportation commission that oversees the department, said he understands the concerns of the Louisiana mayor.

"It just seems like every month we hear this same thing from some other community," Pace said. "It just points to the dilemma that we face today with funding."