Despite the best efforts of the state to upgrade area bridges, 57 percent of Saginaw County bridges maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation are now either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete – the second-highest rate in the state, trailing only Wayne County’s 63 percent, according to a statewide analysis released by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA).
Saginaw County has 97 state bridges and 55 of them need work or replacement, according to the 2010 MDOT bridge inspection report.
The study found that across Michigan more than 28 percent of the state’s 10,831 bridges – 3,052 of them – are showing troubling signs of age and neglect. The report follows an earlier and equally worrisome analysis that showed 26 percent of state and local roads – or 28,700 of the 110,000 miles of roadways – have deteriorated to the point where they are classified in “poor” condition. The number of miles in lousy shape is roughly equivalent to the distance of seven roundtrips between Detroit and Los Angeles.
“Saginaw County and the entire state of Michigan have reached the point where the road and bridge system is no longer sustainable,” said Mike Nystrom, MITA’s executive vice president. “When the percentage of roads and bridges in tough shape climb to a level this high, policymakers often have little choice but to repair and replace the failing ones rather than maintain the others before they fail as well.”
For the first time ever, MITA conducted an analysis of not only state bridges, but county and municipal bridges as well. Those tabulations from the statewide road group show that Saginaw County has a whopping 104 state, county and local bridges that are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete – the sixth-highest number among Michigan’s 83 counties. Functionally obsolete means the design is outdated while structurally deficient means a bridge has deteriorating beams, a crumbling deck or other problems that could force its closure.
Because of declining gas consumption due in part to more fuel-efficient vehicles, gas tax revenues have plummeted by more than $100 million from the amount collected in 1997 – the last time the state’s gasoline levy was increased. Gas tax revenues have fallen in each year since 2002. At the same time, vehicle registration fees which also help pay for roads and bridges have taken a significant hit as tough economic times have forced many motorists to forego new car purchases.
To underscore the seriousness of the situation consider that in September – following months of contentious debate – Michigan lawmakers finally came up with a way to scrape together $84 million in state money to secure $475 million in federal matching funds to benefit roads and bridges. Some lawmakers are calling upon Congress to end state matching fund requirements altogether so the state could choose to invest even less in an already-failing road and bridge system.
“Disinvesting in our network of roads and bridges at a time when Michigan is desperately trying to climb out of a deep economic hole is short-sighted public policy,” Nystrom said. “While it’s easy to point fingers and blame road agencies for the poor bridges, the reality is that they’ve been under funded for decades.”
Other Saginaw County highlights from the study:
• The 57 percent of Saginaw County’s state bridges that are in need of repair/redesign is an alarming 50-percent increase over 2008, the last time MITA conducted a statewide analysis.
• Saginaw County has 216 bridges that are maintained by local governmental units and 49 of them are in need of work – only eight other counties have more bridges in need of attention.
“Let’s be clear about where we stand: We either find a way to increase funding so we can fix our crumbling infrastructure, or we wait until something tragic happens and scramble to pick up the pieces,” said Nystrom. “We can no longer afford to ignore this worsening situation – the time for action is now.”
The 2010 bridge data was collected from information in the local bridge report and from the MDOT bridge report. Both are available online at www.drivemi.org. The information represents a snapshot in time taken earlier this year and could contain a lag time of a few months between the time a bridge was upgraded or downgraded and when that information is included in official reports.
MITA represents a broad spectrum of highway construction companies and suppliers that help build a better Michigan infrastructure from the bottom up. It has been a leading voice for securing adequate transportation funding at the federal and state levels.