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June 16, 2000 9:10 AM, EDT

Truckers are beset by more detours and congestion than ever before because of poorly maintained bridges across the United States, according to a recent study.

	Unsound Bridges
	Federal highway data helped to determine the states with the highest number of spans in need of repair or replacement.
	10 Worst	% deficient
	Hawaii	51
	Rhode Island	50
	Massachusetts	50
	West Virginia	42
	New York	42
	Pennsylvania	42
	Missouri	40
	Oklahoma	40
	New Jersey	38
	Vermont	37
	Source: The Road Information Program

The Road Information Program, a nonprofit group funded by the construction industry, used federal highway data to show the number of deficient bridges declined slightly in 1999. However, the group’s report found that 50% of the bridges in the worst states – Hawaii, Rhode Island and Massachusetts – remain faulty.

Paul J. Haaland, assistant director of research and communications for TRIP, explained that the deficient bridges analyzed were not going to collapse – because a state transportation department would shut such a span down — rather they were not up to current structural or engineering standards.

He said such out-of-date bridges cause problems for all motorists, but especially heavier vehicles like commercial trucks.

For the full story, see the June 19 print edition of Transport Topics. .