Utah's decaying bridges

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006 12:02 p.m. MDT
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In many ways, the state was lucky over the weekend. The 8-foot-wide, 11-foot-long and 1-inch-thick piece of concrete that fell from I-80 onto 600 East didn't hit anybody. Had it struck a car, a motorcycle or a pedestrian, the result may have been as tragic as the recent death caused by problems with Boston's Big Dig highway tunnel.

Utah isn't undergoing a big dig project, of course. This state's equivalent of that was the I-15 reconstruction project that finished in time for the 2002 Winter Olympics. But the falling concrete ought to serve as a jolting reminder that many of the state's bridges are in need of repair. It isn't the only recent reminder. Last year, concrete fell from another I-80 bridge onto Highland Drive.

State highway officials are well aware of the problem. Readers of this newspaper should be, as well. A little more than a year ago we published a story outlining the problem statewide. At that time, 506 bridges in Utah, or 18 percent of the total, were considered deficient. Of those, 145 were considered so bad they needed to be replaced.

State officials always have said they have authority to shut down any bridge that is in immediate danger of collapse. But it's hard to judge when a concrete bridge, worn by years of salt deposited to improve traction during winter storms, will shed a chunk or two on traffic below.

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The solution to this is, as one might guess, expensive. The state already has undertaken massive freeway rebuilding projects, and more are in the works, including one that will replace the bridge that broke over the weekend. Many others, however, are owned by cities and counties. The Deseret Morning News report last year found that these were among the worst in the state, and local governments have little money for repairs.

The good news is that Utah is reaping unprecedented budget surpluses. While the state has many needs, bridge decay is one that can crop up suddenly and with tragic consequences. State lawmakers would be wise to set up a systematic attack to help local governments repair their bridges while the state takes care of its own.

To put this in perspective, this is a nationwide problem, and Utah, as of last year, was the ninth best in the land in terms of bridge conditions. Many of Utah's problem bridges have been fixed in recent years. But much more work remains to be done.

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