With Critical Funds to Repair Ohio Roads and Bridges Set to Expire on July 31, Brown Calls For Long-Term Transportation Bill

-

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 18, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — More than 6,500 bridges in Ohio are deemed “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete” and in need of critical repairs, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These bridges rely on funding from the highway bill – set to expire at the end of July – for improvements and upgrades. With a deadline fast approaching, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called for a bipartisan approach to fixing America’s highways and bridges by passing a long-term transportation bill.

“America’s transportation system was once the envy of the world,” Brown said. “But if we expect to continue our leadership in the global economy, we must invest in a long-term transportation plan—for both highways and transit programs. Too many of our roads, bridges, and railways have fallen into disrepair – in Ohio alone, nearly one quarter of our bridges are deficient. Forty-five percent of our state’s major urban highways are congested, costing our drivers $3.6 billion a year. The clock is ticking—it’s past time to rebuild our country’s roads and bridges and reauthorize the highway bill.”

Unless the federal transportation bill is reauthorized, critical road and bridge repairs in Ohio will be delayed – costing millions of dollars and putting construction jobs at risk. According to the FHWA, one-quarter of Ohio bridges are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. More than 40 percent of Ohio’s roads are in poor or mediocre condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Driving on roads in need of repairs cost Ohio motorists $1.685 million per year or $212 per motorist in repairs and operating costs. Find more Ohio stats from the U.S. Department of Transportation here. During a news conference call today, Brown also released a county-by-county report on the bridges around Ohio in need of repairs.

Brown was joined by Grace Gallucci, executive director of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, to call on Congress to take immediate action to reauthorize the legislation while pointing to impacts Ohioans should anticipate if Congress does not act.

Yesterday, Brown, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined a group of eight senators – including Democratic leadership and ranking members of the Senate Commerce, Finance, and Environment and Public Works Committees – in sending a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that outlines a path toward enactment of a long-term transportation bill.

The county-by-county report is below and here.

 

 

Ohio County Total Bridges Structurally Deficient Functionally Obsolete Total Deficient
ADAMS

184

26

44

70

ALLEN

375

31

53

84

ASHLAND

287

15

21

36

ASHTABULA

328

26

66

92

ATHENS

315

41

65

106

AUGLAIZE

323

13

15

28

BELMONT

316

46

81

127

BROWN

255

17

28

45

BUTLER

377

25

44

69

CARROLL

143

4

12

16

CHAMPAIGN

198

2

9

11

CLARK

343

12

38

50

CLERMONT

311

7

53

60

CLINTON

212

1

9

10

COLUMBIANA

326

21

65

86

COSHOCTON

204

28

26

54

CRAWFORD

227

14

20

34

CUYAHOGA

811

84

329

413

DARKE

489

5

11

16

DEFIANCE

159

12

5

17

DELAWARE

259

3

29

32

ERIE

226

1

33

34

FAIRFIELD

320

14

34

48

FAYETTE

245

9

45

54

FRANKLIN

899

31

205

236

FULTON

203

12

30

42

GALLIA

250

24

72

96

GEAUGA

144

10

14

24

GREENE

341

5

66

71

GUERNSEY

351

36

86

122

HAMILTON

766

19

269

288

HANCOCK

351

10

26

36

HARDIN

261

52

12

64

HARRISON

134

7

21

28

HENRY

265

15

12

27

HIGHLAND

250

16

8

24

HOCKING

297

10

27

37

HOLMES

210

9

51

60

HURON

305

41

19

60

JACKSON

259

34

115

149

JEFFERSON

230

52

56

108

KNOX

289

39

19

58

LAKE

214

14

58

72

LAWRENCE

261

40

61

101

LICKING

464

89

56

145

LOGAN

283

5

12

17

LORAIN

349

45

95

140

LUCAS

418

28

110

138

MADISON

190

24

20

44

MAHONING

352

28

103

131

MARION

239

13

18

31

MEDINA

282

34

50

84

MEIGS

216

19

52

71

MERCER

331

14

2

16

MIAMI

315

23

35

58

MONROE

163

29

33

62

MONTGOMERY

652

46

100

146

MORGAN

163

17

56

73

MORROW

256

60

23

83

MUSKINGUM

377

53

100

153

NOBLE

224

11

35

46

OTTAWA

160

13

12

25

PAULDING

187

11

4

15

PERRY

174

14

32

46

PICKAWAY

247

26

20

46

PIKE

241

26

17

43

PORTAGE

226

29

58

87

PREBLE

337

51

35

86

PUTNAM

214

15

2

17

RICHLAND

355

45

54

99

ROSS

360

27

27

54

SANDUSKY

308

5

52

57

SCIOTO

334

10

70

80

SENECA

276

10

23

33

SHELBY

281

8

17

25

STARK

429

36

90

126

SUMMIT

576

28

222

250

TRUMBULL

399

59

82

141

TUSCARAWAS

339

10

33

43

UNION

220

14

17

31

VAN WERT

314

4

25

29

VINTON

190

18

21

39

WARREN

334

15

47

62

WASHINGTON

310

10

57

67

WAYNE

402

21

67

88

WILLIAMS

241

23

31

54

WOOD

516

66

62

128

WYANDOT

229

15

13

28

TOTALS

26,986

2,080

4,452

6,532

 

Source: Federal Highway Administration, December 2014

Functionally Obsolete is a status used to describe a bridge that is no longer by design functionally adequate for its task. Reasons for this status include that the bridge doesn’t have enough lanes to accommodate the traffic flow, it may be a drawbridge on a congested highway, or it may not have space for emergency shoulders. Functionally Obsolete does not communicate anything of a structural nature. A Functionally Obsolete bridge may be perfectly safe and structurally sound, but may be the source of traffic jams or may not have a high enough clearance to allow an oversized vehicle.

Structurally Deficient is a status used to describe a bridge that has one or more structural defects that require attention. This status does not indicate the severity of the defect but rather that a defect is present. Please see the Structural Evaluation and the Condition ratings of each bridge Deck, Substructure, and Superstructure for details of the nature and severity of the defect(s).

Press Contact
Meghan Dubyak/Lauren Kulik
(202) 224-3978

SHARE
Avatar

Ohio RealEstateRama is an Internet based Real Estate News and Press Release distributor chanel of RealEstateRama for Ohio Real Estate publishing community.

RealEstateRama staff editor manage to selection and verify the real estate news for State of Ohio.

Contact:

Previous articleFollowing Release of Lake Erie Algal Bloom Study, Brown Calls for Improved Monitoring, Conservation Efforts in Western Lake Erie Basin
Next articleBrown Announces $3.5 Million in Federal Funding for Advanced Energy Project at Sunpower Inc. in Athens