Michigan's ageing bridges

The US state of Michigan needs to invest in highway bridge repairs.
February 16, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The US state of Michigan needs to invest in highway bridge repairs. A report by 2770 Transportation for America says that in excess of 13% of the state's highway bridges are structurally deficient, compared with an average of 11.5% across the US. The problem is likely to increase according to the report as bridges age and come closer to their planned 50 year lifespan. Up to 1,400 bridges in Michigan are structurally deficient according to federal standards. In all Michigan has 11,000 road bridges and they are 41 years old on average. In the US, about 185,000 bridges are more than 50 years old and the number could double by 2030. Transportation for America says one in nine US bridges are in poor condition, while it would cost US$71 billion to improve the condition of its structurally deficient bridges.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Rebuilding better gravel roads more efficiently
    October 15, 2015
    Using a linear road crusher can rebuild gravel roads using material onsite at a fraction of the cost of conventional methods. Gravel roads are common in many rural areas in the US to provide access to temporary work sites and are also used widely in developing countries. Maintaining and repairing these roads can pose challenges and new methods may offer improvements in efficiency.
    Read More
  • $1.49 billion for Oregon-Washington bridge
    August 26, 2024
    The existing Interstate 5 bridge connecting Portland and Vancouver over the Columbia River in the US northwest is actually two parallel bridges – one dating back to 1917.
    Read More
  • Efficient asset management to trim maintenance budgets
    January 22, 2014
    Transport infrastructure is taken for granted in many, if not most, developed countries. This has resulted in a shortage of investment in maintenance, posing potential long term cost issues. In many developing nations transport networks are expanding fast, but insufficient thought is also being given to how these will be maintained.
    Read More
  • US roads continue to deteriorate amid a fuel levy controversy
    February 11, 2015
    The number of potholes will increase and roads in many of North America’s leading cities will continue to worsen if local authorities do not significantly increase their road maintenance spending, according to a US report. City authorities in the US state of Iowa need to spend US$10 million more per year just to maintain the existing road pavement, according to a report from the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organisation (MPO), a transportation planning agency made up of central Iowa cities and c
    Read More

Highlighted Content