Bridges fix for budget fix in N.D., Minn.?

• How regional counties bridges rank

How regional counties bridges rank
• Structurally deficient bridges

Structurally deficient bridges

Talk about it

One in six highway bridges in North Dakota and one in 11 in Minnesota are rated “structurally deficient,” according to a report from Transportation for America, a nonprofit coalition of transportation organizations.

The report, released in March, was cited Friday by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., as he lobbied for federal funding to rebuild bridges in an effort to put people back to work.

“Minnesota has so many men and women in construction who are on the bench — and have been for a long time — and so many projects in need of their skills,” Franken said.

The report shows that Minnesota is the 34th worst among the 50 states and District of Columbia in terms of the overall condition of bridges. As of 2010, 1,149 of the 13,068 highway bridges in the state are listed as structurally deficient.

North Dakota ranks ninth, with one being the worst and 51 the best. The report counts 710 of the state’s 4,410 highway bridges — 16.1 percent — as structurally deficient.

Nationally, the percentage of structurally deficient bridges is 11.5 percent.

The report gives county-by-county statistics on structurally deficient bridges, but does not name or precisely locate them.

“While we’re going to have to make some big cuts in our spending, we shouldn’t cut the things we know will help our economy get back on its feet,” Franken said. “Investing in infrastructure is a great way to grow our economy, put people back to work and take care of much-needed work on our state’s roads and bridges.”

Transportation for America cited the Interstate 35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August 2007, which resulted in 13 deaths and 145 injuries.

Both North Dakota and Minnesota conducted bridge inspection programs following that accident. That resulted in the temporary or permanent closure of dozens of bridges.

The average age of bridges in the United States is 42 years. The average is 43.1 years in North Dakota and 35.2 years in Minnesota.

At least three structurally deficient bridges over the Red River in the northern valley have since been replaced. They include:

- Drayton Bridge — The 4,090-foot bridge, the second-longest in North Dakota, connects N.D. Highway 66 east of Drayton, N.D., with Minnesota Highway 11 west of Donaldson, Minn. Completed in February, it replaced a bridge that frequently was closed because the flooding river swamped the bridge’s approach.

- Thompson Bridge — The bridge, located about 15 miles southeast of Grand Forks, connects Grand Forks County Road 7 with Minnesota’s Polk County State Aid Highway 9. It was completed last fall.

- Shelly Bridge — The bridge, which connects Shelly, Minn., with the community of Caledonia, N.D., was replaced this past year.

Officials are working on a plan to replace the Oslo Bridge over the Red River at Oslo, Minn.

According to Transportation for America, the size of the federal transportation program increased 14 percent between 2006 and 2009, while state-level needs increased 47 percent.

Besides lobbying for more resources, the group is asking Congress to ensure funds sent to states for bridge repair are used only for that purpose.

Reach Bonham at (701) 780-1110; (800) 477-6572, ext. 110; or send email to kbonham@gfherald.com.

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