Federal Highway Administration
; Map: Will Chase and Kavya Beheraj/Axios
Drivers cross Virginia bridges in “poor” or worse condition more than 2.2 million times a day, according to a report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
Why it matters: Baltimore’s fatal bridge collapse has put a renewed focus on the vulnerability of bridges across the U.S.
The big picture: The Department of Transportation considers 3.5% — or 498 — of Virginia’s 14,000-plus bridges to be poor, a rate that’s better than all but 39 other states.
- Nationwide, 6.8% of bridges are in poor shape. West Virginia has the highest rate at nearly 20% of its bridges.
- A third of our bridges are in good condition. About 63% are fair.
Zoom in: At least 52 of Virginia’s bridges have been in “poor” condition for more than 10 years, per an Axios analysis of National Bridge Inventory data.
- Of those, 14 are in the Richmond area. Eight of the 14 were built before the 1930s, our analysis found.
- And nearly half of Virginia bridges are nearing the 50-year mark when they’ll need repairs or replacement, according to a September report from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit.