Too Many American Bridges are Unsafe These Days

Hazards.

Image of the Brooklyn Bridge courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Dr. G. Schmitz

You won't feel as safe after driving over a bridge after this read. According to a new Associated Press report, 65,605 of the 607,380 bridges listed in the National Bridge Inventory were labeled "structurally deficient." Of those 65,605, 20,808 are considered "fractured critical," and 7,795 are in both categories.

For a bridge to be considered "structurally deficient," Gothamist says that either its superstructure, substructure or deck has received less than a 4 out of a possible 9 points. A "fracture critical" bridge means that the bridge is virtually on the verge of collapse. 

Bad news, New Yorkers: the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the bridges in both categories.

[via Gothamist and Associated Press]

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