Florida has some of the safest bridges in the country, according to a new report, including one in south Sarasota County that was originally deemed structurally deficient.
A report released this week by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association said that thousands of bridges across the nation are not structurally sound, and the southbound bridge on Interstate 75 that goes over Yorkshire Street was listed among them, according to ARTBA report.
However, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation said ARTBA’s information had apparently not been updated prior to the release of the report and the bridge deck in question was replaced last spring as part of a regularly-scheduled interstate widening project.
“We’re happy to let people know we’ve taken care of our obligation,’’ said FDOT spokesman Zach Burch. “It’s not deficient anymore. It’s in good condition and will last for years and decades to come.’’
Burch said the FDOT inspects all bridges every two years. Those bridges of concern can be inspected on an annual or even monthly basis. If a bridge is determined to be structurally unsound the FDOT has five years to either replace or repair the bridge, Burch said.
The I-75 bridge in south Sarasota County had been declared structurally deficient in 2016 before it was fixed last spring. It was last inspected on March 22, 2017 – shortly after it was repaired – and Burch said the FDOT scored it a 95.8 out of 100 for safety.
Bridge decks and support structures are regularly inspected for deterioration and remedial action by the FDOT and that information is given to ARTBA, which rates bridges on a scale from zero to nine. A score of nine means the bridge is in excellent condition. A bridge is rated as structurally deficient and in need of repair if the rating on a significant structural element falls to four or below, according to the report.
The report states that “while these bridges may not be immediately unsafe, they are in need of attention.’’
The Sarasota County bridge in question, according to the ARTBA study, has 24,750 daily crossings and is classified by ARTBA as a rural interstate bridge, of which there are 577 in Florida. Of that number only four are now considered structurally deficient.
Without the Sarasota County bridge on the list the only deficient rural interstate bridge on I-75 is in Hernando County.
Aside from the Sarasota County bridge that no longer qualifies there are no other local bridges on ARTBA’s list.
Built in 1980, the Sarasota County bridge had been the second-youngest on the list of structurally deficient bridges. The average age of structurally deficient bridges in the United States is 67, meaning the Sarasota County bridge was nearly 30 years newer than the average bridge with structural concerns.
Compared nationally, Florida’s bridges are in good shape. There are 12,355 bridges in the state and 264 of them, or 2.1 percent, have been declared as structurally deficient. The number of bridges ranks 41st in the nation, while the percentage ranks 49th, with only Texas and Nevada owning better percentages.
“We’re proud of the conditions of our roads and bridges,’’ Burch said.
During his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night President Trump was expected to outline a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan. A plan to rebuild crumbling roads and fix deteriorating bridges was often a part of Trump’s campaign speeches.
Of the 12,355 bridges in Florida, ARTBA determined that 693 of them are in need of some type of repair at a cost estimated at $1.7 billion.