Pennsylvania Bridges Score a "D"

August 2007

How safe are Pennsylvania bridges? You may not be able to tell just from the rusty metal frames or lane closures, but experts can. And they’ve given Pennsylvania’s roadways and bridges a “D.”

With over 2,000 recorded bridges, Pittsburgh accounts for a high concentration the state’s 25,000 spanning roadways. Bridges constructed over 40 years ago – and there are many in the region – are made with steel that’s 25 percent thinner than the materials used today.

According to the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, maintaining the current condition of PA-state funded roads and bridges would cost $856 million annually. Improving their condition would require $2.2 billion per year.

Figures show that despite rising bridge, highway, and turnpike tolls, Pennsylvania’s average amount left for maintaining and improving its state-controlled roads and bridges would only reach $500 million a year for the next ten years.