MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Which Puget Sound bridges are the most structurally deficient?

Jan 31, 2018, 10:01 AM

bridge...

(WSDOT)

(WSDOT)

The most highly traveled bridge in Washington state – I-90 across Lake Washington — is also one considered to be structurally deficient.

According to a new analysis by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, 4.8 percent of bridges in the state are structurally deficient.

That doesn’t mean a bridge is unsafe for traffic, but that it has at least one significant defect.

For instance, I-90 earned a poor rating for anchor cable deterioration. Money has been budgeted for a fix and work is currently underway.

The report has been issued by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association — a trade group representing builders – for the last five years.

In it, Washington is among the safest in the country. Of the 8,233 bridges in the state, 399, or 4.8 percent, are classified as structurally deficient.

But a portion of SR 520 over 116th Street in Bellevue makes the list of deficient bridges for some deck deterioration.

Why the 520 bridge was misunderstood as ‘structurally deficient’

President Trump said in his State of The Union speech he wants Congress to approve $1.5 trillion on infrastructure.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says any bridge listed in poor condition is immediately put on a priority list for their Bridge Preservation Program.

The state has identified needed repairs on 4,979 bridges which the state estimates will cost $28.1 billion.

View the full report here.

Here are the top most traveled structurally deficient bridges in Washington:

 Bridge  County  Daily crossings
 Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge (I-90)  King  66,500
 Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (I-90)  King  66,500
 SR 520 over Lake Washington  King  60,221
 SR 520 over 116th Ave Ne (Bellevue)  King  49,647
 SR 99 over city streets & Railroad (Seattle)  King  41,000
 S Boeing Access Rd over BNRR (Tukwila)  King  38,800
 S Boeing Access Rd over Airport Way Bar Ramp (Tukwila)  King  38,800
 SR 99 over city streets & Railroad (Seattle)  King  38,800
 S 212th St over Green River (Kent)  King  35,000
 I-90 over Hangman Creek (Spokane)  Spokane  34,707
 I-90 over Hangman Creek (Spokane)  Spokane  34,707
I-5 over Lewis River (Woodland) Clark 32,564
I-5 over E Fork Lewis River (Woodland) Clark 32,564
US 101 over Chehalis River Grays Harbor 28,644
 Gravelly Lake Dr over BNRR (Lakewood) Pierce 27,805
 I-90 over Raging River (Preston) King 27,713
 I-90 over SR 906 W-W Ramp (North Bend) King 27,583
 I-90 over Game Crossing King 27,508
 SR 167 over BNSF RR (Sumner) Pierce 27,455
 Yesler Way over 4th Ave S (Seattle)  King  27,000
I-90 over W Snoqualmie King 22,656
I-5 over Samish River (Burlington) Skagit 22,561
I-5 over Toutle River (Castle Rock) Cowlitz 22,511
SR 302 over Henderson Bay (Purdy) Pierce 21,268
W Garfield St/Magnolia Bridge (Seattle) King 20,700

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Which Puget Sound bridges are the most structurally deficient?