Report - Missouri second only to Oklahoma in bad bridges

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri ranks second only to Oklahoma in the percentage of deficient bridges, according to a new report that blames the state's problem on aging spans and increased traffic loads they were not meant to handle.

About 26 percent of Missouri's 23,385 bridges are "structurally deficient," according to a report released Tuesday by The Road Information Program, a transportation group funded by construction and manufacturing companies.

Linda Wilson, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman, called the report somewhat misleading, given that some of the bridges already are designated for replacement.

"I think the thing you always have to keep in mind with Missouri is that we have the seventh-largest number of bridges," she said.

Wilson noted that the state bridges listed in the new report still are safe.

Many of the bridges listed are on state highways, including several spans along a stretch of Interstate 64 -- known around St. Louis as Highway 40 -- being targeted for replacement. Others are on Interstate 70 in St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Keeping up

State transportation officials insist they don't have enough money to keep up with all of Missouri's transportation needs. A bill in the state legislature would boost spending by more than $500 million a year.

"We certainly think it underscores the urgency in moving forward with statewide resources on this," said Richard C.D. Fleming, the Regional Chamber and Growth Association's president.

The report says Missouri's worst bridge is in St. Louis County -- a 77-year-old span on a county-maintained road at the Meramec River, which carries 10,660 cars a day.

County officials have no plans to replace it now but have posted a five-ton weight limit barring school buses, cement trucks and other large vehicles from using it.

"Under our guidelines, we consider that bridge to be in fair condition," said David Wrone, St. Louis County Department of Highways and Traffic spokesman. "It obviously is not in outstanding condition."

The Road Information Program used figures from the latest National Bridge Inventory kept by the federal government, said Paul Haaland, associate director of policy and research.