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Few of Indiana’s worst bridges get stimulus money
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana has not focused its federal stimulus money on the state’s neediest bridges, instead spending it mostly on road projects and spans in such good shape that they would not normally qualify for federal aid, an Associated Press analysis shows.
With more than 4,000 bridges rated as deficient or obsolete, Indiana is among the states with the greatest backlog of bridge work. But just one in four bridge projects on the state’s stimulus list will include those spans.
President Barack Obama promoted the $787 billion stimulus package as a way to help states rebuild what he called America’s “crumbling bridges.” Lawmakers said it was a historic chance to chip away at the $65 billion cost to repair the nation’s deficient bridges, often neglected until a catastrophe such as the Minneapolis bridge collapse two years ago Saturday.
But in crafting the stimulus, Congress required states to spend the money quickly on “shovel ready” projects to jolt the economy out of its recession. Indiana officials say those deadlines meant they couldn’t focus solely on the worst bridges, some of which need work that would take years to plan. Indiana is getting $460 million for state road and bridge projects, and half of that had to be allocated by June 30.
Much of that cash will go toward road projects such as pavement improvements, which transportation officials say require less planning and can be done quickly.
The Indiana Department of Transportation says there’s plenty of work to be done.
“Crumbling infrastructure is crumbling infrastructure, whether it’s a bridge or a road,” said spokesman Will Wingfield.
The state has set aside $44 billion for more than 60 bridge projects. About two-thirds of the projects focus on bridges that received such good reviews during inspections that they likely would not qualify for traditional federal bridge aid.
Only about a quarter of the work will help fix deficient or obsolete spans, but the state transportation department says the stimulus work done on other bridges could keep other bridges from falling into disrepair.
“This recovery act money allows us to get a head start on some of those roads and bridges that would otherwise be in dire need of repair within the next few years,” Wingfield said. “You can invest money now that saves a lot of money over the long term.”
Many states are trying to juggle the need to fix structurally deficient bridges while keeping up work on other bridges to prevent them from slipping into that category, according to TRIP, a nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based transportation research group.
“There’s a significant amount of work that needs to happen to bridges that are not listed as structurally deficient,” said Frank Moretti, the group’s director of policy and research. “If you can do that work and it expands their lifespans, that is to the public’s best interest.”
Indiana has nearly 2,000 bridges that are classified as structurally deficient, the same rating given to the I-35W bridge in that collapsed in Minnesota. Engineers stress that the structurally deficient rating does not mean a span is dangerous, but it does mean the bridge needs to be monitored or repaired.
Indiana’s 2,000 functionally obsolete brides don’t meet current design standards, generally because of changing traffic demands. Bridges built decades ago, for example, sometimes have narrower shoulders or lower clearance than modern structures.
Some of Indiana’s deficient bridges being worked on through the stimulus package may not be repaired enough to take them off the state’s list of deficient bridges, said Bill Dettrich, a state bridge inspection engineer. That’s because some spans may have underlying issues that need work that will take years to complete.
But even projects that may seem small or cosmetic, such as a new paint job, can help expand a bridge’s life by preventing rust or further deterioration, the transportation department said.
State officials point out that Indiana has other transportation funds it can use to repair deficient bridges. And using the stimulus money on other bridges now will free up money down the road to do long-term repairs on bridges that need the most work.
“One way or another, this has a huge impact on getting our entire bridge system in much better condition,” said Joe Gustin, the transportation department’s deputy commissioner of planning.
State and federal officials also hope the bridge projects will protect or create jobs in Indiana.
Of the 56 stimulus-funded contracts for bridge projects that have been awarded, 52 were awarded to Indiana companies, according to the transportation department data. Some of the projects were combined into one contract for bidding purposes, and all were awarded to the lowest bidder, the agency said.
2,000
Approximate number of bridges in Indiana that are classified as structurally deficient.
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