Missouri's bridge system in dire straits

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Fourteen of Missouri's 20 most-traveled structurally deficient bridges have either been repaired, replaced or are under contract to be replaced, the Missouri Transportation Department says.

But that's only a fraction of the work that needs to be done to the state's aging bridge system, which is among the largest in the nation. And state officials concede they don't know how the state will pay for it.

"We've got the most major bridges of any state in the country," transportation director Pete Rahn said. "We have 53 major bridges that cross the Mississippi or Missouri River. Plus there are 10,000 additional bridges on our system and within our borders. We don't have the resources to do the work that's needed."

An Associated Press review of repair work on the 20 most-traveled structurally deficient bridges in each state and Washington, D.C. -- 1,020 nationwide -- found that in the majority of states the most common path was to plan for repairs rather than fix problems now.

The bridges reviewed are not in imminent danger of falling down, state engineers and highway officials say. But officials acknowledge that the structures need improvements -- and many sooner rather than later.

The Interstate-35W bridge in downtown Minneapolis, one of Minnesota's busiest, collapsed during the evening rush hour Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145.

A year later, Rahn said the public is more aware of the state's transportation problems. He's hoping that translates into a greater willingness to provide money to address the problem.

"Prior to that the public took bridges for granted," Rahn said. "That tragic event pointed out to the general public how tenuous our hold is over our whole transportation system."

During a special session soon after the Minnesota collapse, state lawmakers approved an effort to hasten bridge repairs by awarding a single, 30-year contract to fix and maintain 802 of Missouri's worst bridges.

Construction costs for the program, dubbed "Safe and Sound Bridges," are estimated at between $400 million and $600 million, but could eventually double because of financing and maintenance costs.

However, that program generally focuses on the state's smaller bridges with an average length of 150 feet and doesn't address the needs of larger ones.

The Transportation Department says it will take an additional $300 million to $500 million over the next 10 years to repair the largest problem bridges, or $7 billion to replace them.

Rahn said the state's top six structurally deficient bridges are along a 10-mile Interstate 64 corridor near or through St. Louis. They are being repaired or replaced as part of a $535 million project scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.

"Of 32 bridges in that 10 miles, half of them were Condition 3 bridges, which the next step is closure. On a scale of 1 to 10, when they're rated at a 2 we close them," Rahn said.

Planning for that project began in 2000, he said, well before the Minnesota tragedy. The price tag isn't included in either the Safe and Sound Bridges program or in estimates for repairs to the state's larger bridges, Rahn said.

State Sen. Bill Stouffer, a Napton Republican who is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said Missouri is doing the best it can with available funds, but more money is needed -- especially after a voter-approved, $7.3 billion transportation plan runs out in 2010.

"Our needs versus available funds over the next 20 years are about $19 billion short," Stouffer said. "We're going to have to look at that and figure out how to fund it, but the public is going to have to buy into it.

"The truth is, infrastructure is not real sexy and something people think about every day," he said. "Our job is to articulate the need."

Fourteen of the state's 20 most-traveled structurally deficient bridges are in the St. Louis area, with the busiest -- I-64 east over Brentwood Boulevard -- carrying an average of nearly 159,000 vehicles per day.

Five of the top 20 are in the Kansas City area, the busiest of which is on Interstate 29 over Line Creek in Platte County, where nearly 100,000 vehicles cross daily.

All but four of the 20 are on interstate highways, according to MoDOT records.

Only one of the bridges on Missouri's top 20 list, in Platte County over Route AA, has neither been repaired nor slated for future repairs, MoDOT said. Nineteen of the bridges are owned by the state.

"We would never let anybody drive on a bridge that we thought was unsafe," Rahn said. "We have a lot of bridges that are headed in the direction of needing to be closed because they will be unsafe in the future."