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By Tim Brown, Operations Manager, County Information Project |
The Texas Department of Transportation recently released its report on the condition of bridges in the state.¹ The report states that it tracks progress towards two TxDOT goals. They are:
The first goal is interesting since it includes both “on-system” and “off-system” bridges. On-system bridges are those bridges that are “located on the designated state highway system, are administered by TxDOT, and are typically funded with a combination of federal and state or state-only funds.” Off-system bridges are those bridges that are “not part of the designated state highway system and are under the direct jurisdiction of the local government such as a county, city, other political subdivision of the state, or special district with authority to finance a highway improvement project.” The CIP took a look at the progress made statewide towards the first goal by comparing the status of off-system bridges in 2002 to 2006. From 2002 to 2006, the number of off-system bridges in the state increased by 949 (from 16,206 to 17,155). At the same time, the number of “structurally deficient” bridges decreased by 519 as shown in the chart. However, corresponding gains were not accomplished in the functionally obsolete category where the number declined by only 32 bridges.
As a result, only 60.4 percent of the off-system bridges in Texas were in good or better condition as of 2006. While this is a significant improvement from 54.1 percent in 2002, there is clearly room for improvement at the local level. Meanwhile the state as a whole has improved from 70 percent of bridges (on- and off-system) in good or better condition in 2002 to 77 percent in 2006.
