For Immediate Release

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Report available at: Tripnet.org

Contact:

Carolyn Bonifas Kelly 703.801.9212 (cell) 

Rocky Moretti 202.262.0714 (cell) 

TRIP office 202.466.6706

 

FIFTEEN PERCENT OF BANGOR AREA BRIDGES AND 14 PERCENT OF STATEWIDE BRIDGES ARE STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT. NEW REPORT IDENTIFIES BRIDGES IN BANGOR, SOUTHERN MAINE, AND CENTRAL MAINE THAT ARE IN NEED OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT
Eds.: The report includes lists of structurally deficient bridges in Bangor, Central Maine and Southern Maine with the lowest average rating for the condition of the deck, superstructure and substructure, and lists the most heavily traveled structurally deficient bridges in each region. Info-graphic can be 
downloaded here.

Bangor, ME – Fourteen percent of bridges statewide and 15 percent of bridges in the Bangor region are structurally deficient according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation organization. A bridge is structurally deficient if there is significant deterioration of the bridge deck, supports or other major components.

The TRIP report,Preserving Maine’s Bridges: The Condition and Funding Needs of Maine’s Aging Bridge System,” finds that Maine has the ninth highest rate of structurally deficient bridges in the nation. In the Bangor region, which includes Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties, 53 of the 360 bridges (20 feet or longer) are structurally deficient.  Bridges that are structurally deficient may be posted for lower weight limits or closed if their condition warrants such action. Deteriorated bridges can have a significant impact on daily life. Restrictions on vehicle weight may cause many vehicles – especially emergency vehicles, commercial trucks, school buses and farm equipment – to use alternate routes to avoid weight-restricted bridges. Redirected trips also lengthen travel time, waste fuel and reduce the efficiency of the local economy.

MaineDOT’s current funding for state bridge repairs is $105 annually, but a 2014 report found that the state should be spending $140 million annually to maintain bridges in their current condition and $217 million annually to make significant progress in improving the condition of the state’s bridges.  Early findings from an updated bridge analysis being conducted by MaineDOT indicate that the annual cost to maintain the state’s bridges in their current condition has increased significantly from the 2014 estimate.

A significant number of Maine’s bridges were built from the 1950s through the 1970s and have surpassed or are approaching 50 years old, which is typically the intended design life for bridges built during this era. The average age of Maine’s bridges is 52 years. The cost of repairing and preserving bridges increases as they age and as they reach the end of their intended design life.

“Maine’s businesses and employers alike rely on transportation systems to connect them to their workforce and to connect that workforce with suppliers and customers around the state and around the globe,” said Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “Ensuring that our bridges continue to be safe, and addressing the backlog of needs in roads, bridges and all transportation infrastructure is critical to growing our economy.  We can and we must do better to make transportation funding a higher priority for our state.”

The TRIP report includes lists of the 25 most heavily traveled structurally deficient bridges in Bangor, Central Maine and Southern Maine. It also includes lists of the 25 structurally deficient bridges in each region that have the lowest average rating for the condition of the deck, substructure and superstructure. The report’s appendix includes a list of all structurally deficient bridges in Maine that carry more than 500 vehicles per day.

The chart below details the 10 most heavily traveled structurally deficient bridges in the Bangor region. A list of the 25 most heavily traveled structurally deficient bridges in the region is available in the report.

 

  County Facility Carried Feature Intersected Location Year Built ADT
1. Penobscot Stillwater Avenue North Channel Stillwater River 0.7 MI N of JCT I-95 1952 16,640
2. Penobscot Stillwater Avenue South Channel Stillwater River 0.7 MI N of I-95 1952 16,640
3. Penobscot I-95 Southbound M C RR & Perry Road 0.2 MI SW of I-95/I-395 1962 15,750
4. Penobscot I-95 Northbound Souadabscook Stream 2 MI E TL/95 Miles 176.5 1961 12,090
5. Penobscot I-95 Northbound Souadabscook Stream 3.3 MI E TL/05 MI 177.9 1961 12,090
6. Penobscot I-95 Northbound Souadabscook Stream 2.5 MI E TL/95 MI 177.1 1961 12,090
7. Penobscot SA 6 Interstate 95 Interchange #47 1960 9,998
8. Penobscot US 1A & 9 Souadabscook Stream .4 MI N 9 & 202 1924 6,090
9. Penobscot Route 155 Penobscot River .3 MI W US 2 1946 5,261
10. Penobscot Route 11 & 157 Schoodic Stream/Dolby Flowa 100 FT. W Dolby Rest Area 1926 4,890

The following 10 structurally deficient bridges in the Bangor region have the lowest average rating for the condition of the deck, substructure and superstructure (carrying a minimum of 500 vehicles per day). Each major component of a bridge is rated on a scale of zero to nine, with a score of four or below indicating poor condition. If a bridge receives a rating of four or below for its deck, substructure or superstructure, it is rated as structurally deficient. A list of the 25 structurally deficient bridges in the Bangor region with the lowest average rating for the condition of the deck, substructure and superstructure is included in the report.

  County Facilities Carried Feature Intersected Location Year Built ADT
1. Penobscot Route 155 Penobscot River .3 MI W US 2 1946 5,261
2. Penobscot Route 11 & 157 Schoodic Stream 100 FT W Dolby Rest Area 1926 4,890
3. Penobscot Route US 2 R Overflow & Sunkhaze Street 3.3 MI N of JCT RTE 178 1938 4,455
4. Piscataquis Essex Street Piscataquis River 0.1 MI NE of JCT RTE 15 1930 2,157
5. Piscataquis Routes 611 & 16 Piscataquis River 0.3 MI NW of SLY JCT 11 1926 3,479
6. Penobscot US 1A & 9 Souadabscook Stream 0.4 MI N 9 & 202 1924 6,090
7. Penobscot Route US 2 Sunkhaze Street/R Overflow 3.2 MI N of JCT RTE 178 1922 4,455
8. Penobscot US Route 2 & Route 100 Harvey Brook 0.7 MI NE of JCT RTE 69 1923 3,364
9. Penobscot Route 2 Beach Bridge Brook 2.2 MI N of Town line 1938 2,160
10. Penobscot Route US 2 Mattawamkeag River 0.2 MI S Route 157 1928 2,008

“We must invest wisely in infrastructure improvements that not only account for today’s needs, but also prioritize needs for the future,” said Pat Moody, manager of public affairs for AAA Northern New England. “With 2016 highway fatalities topping 37,000 last year and marking the highest total since 2008, we must invest in our highway system to promote efficiency, reduce congestion and reduce the deaths and injuries on our roadways.”

“Maine’s bridges are a critical component of the state’s transportation system, providing crucial connections for personal mobility, economic growth and quality of life,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director. “Without increased and reliable transportation funding, numerous projects to improve and preserve Maine’s aging bridges will not move forward, hampering the state’s ability to efficiently and safety move people and goods.”