Paul Towhey
Pennsylvania still has the sixth-highest percentage of spans in poor condition
WASHINGTON — More than two years after Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed, Pennsylvania last year reported repairing more deficient bridges than any other state.
There were 90 fewer bridges with at least one structural element in poor condition this year than last, the biggest drop of any other state, new Federal Highway Administration figures show.
Even so, motorists every day continue to drive across hundreds of deficient Pennsylvania bridges. Around 12.6% of the state’s bridges — 2,932 of 23,299 — have at least one structural element in poor condition, the sixth-highest percentage among the 50 states, the FHA data show.
A year ago, 13% of the state’s bridges were deficient, also ranking Pennsylvania sixth.