In view of extensive coverage following the Interstate 35-West steel bridge collapse in Minnesota, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association released key highway and bridge statistics:

• Of the 594,709 U.S. bridges, 152,945 (26%) are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to 2006 Federal Highway Administration data. Of the 961,382 federal-aid road miles, 161,750 (17%) are reported to have conditions needing resurfacing or reconstruction.

• Of Minnesota's 13,008 bridges, 1,586 (12.2%) are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete — third-lowest in the nation, according to FHWA. Of Minnesota's 31,612 federal-aid road miles, 2,871 miles (9.1%) are reported to have conditions needing resurfacing or reconstruction.

• According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2006 “Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions & Performance” report: a) Structurally deficient means that significant load-carrying elements of the bridge are found to be in poor or worse condition due to deterioration and/or damage; or, the adequacy of the waterway opening provided by the bridge is determined to be extremely insufficient to the point of causing intolerable traffic interruptions. A deficient bridge, when left open to traffic, typically requires significant maintenance and repair to remain and service. And, b) Functionally obsolete bridges result from changes in traffic demand on the structure. For example, a bridge designed in the 1930s would have shoulder widths in conformance with the design standards of the 1930s. However, design standards may have changed since that time.

ARTBA-prepared state-by-state comparisons and overview of most recent federal government data on road and bridge conditions are available online in the “News” section of www.artba.org.