14% of Louisiana Bridges Are Deficient, Report Says

A national transportation research group says 14 percent of Louisiana’s state and local bridges are structurally deficient, the seventh-highest rate in the nation.

A report by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, says 1,821 bridges in Louisiana are deemed to have significant deterioration of a bridge deck, supports or other major components.

The group says the Federal Highway Administration estimates it would cost $1.9 billion to replace or rehabilitate all structurally deficient bridges in Louisiana.

Louisiana faces a $14 billion backlog of transportation projects, with $3.4 billion of that tied to bridge work.

Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development, told The Advocate the TRIP report isn’t news to his agency. And he said the problems are only likely to get worse because of stagnant funding.