On the first anniversary of a major Interstate bridge collapse in Minneapolis that killed 13 people, an Associated Press analysis has found that states are not doing much beyond routine maintenance on their busiest problem bridges. And South Carolina is among the worst.
South Carolina, Indiana, Oklahoma and New Hampshire all have undertaken repairs on just one of their deficient bridges since the last batch of federal data was gathered in early 2007.
The AP looked at the 20 busiest bridges that are deemed "structurally deficient" in each state. Structurally deficient does not mean a bridge is unsafe, only that it needs to be monitored and has parts that should be scheduled for repair or replacement.
The only bridge on South Carolina's list of 20-busiest structurally deficient bridges that's being repaired is on S.C. 171 (Folly Road) at James Island Creek in Charleston County, where repairs are underway.
The problem is a lack of money. SC DOT Secretary Buck Limehouse says South Carolina has a backlog of $3 billion in work on more than 1,000 deficient, state-owned bridges. At a cabinet meeting July 15, he told Gov. Mark Sanford that the agency has less money coming in to spend on repair, maintenance and new construction. The DOT is funded entirely with state and federal gas tax money, and gas tax collections are down as people drive less because of high prices. "In the history of the motor fuel tax in South Carolina, it's always gone up," Limehouse said after that meeting. "So the fact that it's actually declined for the last four months is dramatic."
He stresses that South Carolina's bridges are safe.
Gov. Sanford's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, says, "We're going to be, a little later on this year, rolling out a new infrastructure plan that will lay out a number of different financing alternatives for new construction. That will ultimately enable us to spend more on maintenance."
South Carolina's 20 busiest structurally deficient bridges:
-I-26 over Southern Railway, 3 miles west of West Columbia, Lexington County
-I-26 over CN&L Railroad, 3 miles northwest of Columbia, Richland County
-1-26 at S.C. 642 (Dorchester Rd), in North Charleston, Charleston County
-I-26 at U.S. 1, 1 mile west of West Columbia, Lexington County
-I-26 at S.C. 303 (Airport Blvd), 2 miles southwest of West Columbia, Lexington County
-S.C. 171 (Folly Rd) at James Island Creek, 4 miles southwest of Charleston, Charleston County
-I-385 at I-85, northbound, 6 miles east of Greenville, Greenville County
-I-385 at I-85, southbound, 6 miles east of Greenville, Greenville County
-I-85 at Brushy Creek, southbound, 8 miles north of Williamston, Anderson County
-S.C. 277 at I-77, 7 miles north of Columbia, Richland County
-S.C. 85 at S-2, 3.2 miles northwest of Spartanburg, Spartanburg County
-U.S. 29 at Mountain Creek, 4.5 miles southwest of Greer, Greenville County
-U.S. 29 at Enoree River, 4.5 miles southwest of Greer, Greenville County
-U.S. 76 Bypass at U.S. 521, 3 miles west of Sumter, Sumter County
-U.S. 178 at Caw Caw Swamp, 0.5 miles north of Orangeburg, Orangeburg County
-U.S. 21 at Albergotti Creek, near Beaufort, Beaufort County
-I-385 at S.C. 14 and CSX Railroad, 15.1 miles northwest of Laurens, Laurens County
-U.S. 378 at Twelve Mile Creek, 3 miles northeast of Lexington, Lexington County
-U.S. 17 at Ashley River, in Charleston, Charleston County
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement