Bridging the gaps

Concrete chunks that fell from the bridge above litter the ground. Rusty steel rods, corroded from years of road salt, poke through the structure's underbelly and support columns. Broken parts from failed joints hang like cave stalactites.

Unaware of such decay below, people in nearly 100,000 cars a day cross the 50-year-old bridge on I-15 that spans Beck Street and a railway. It is a narrow gateway between Salt Lake City and all points north on a strip between mountains and marshes.

"This is one of the bridges in the state that concerns us most," said state bridge engineer Todd Jensen of the I-15 bridge at Beck Street. "It is still safe, and other bridges are worse. But the heavy traffic here — and the fact it is a narrow connecting point between Salt Lake City and northern Utah, and what would happen if it fails — make us worry."

It is just one of the 506 bridges in Utah — or 18 percent of the total — that are considered "deficient," according to state inspection data. It is also one of 145 Utah bridges in poor enough condition that federal guidelines say they should be replaced.

Three small, "deficient" bridges have actually collapsed this year — victims of flooding in southern Utah that eroded earth away from their support structures, toppling them.

Despite the recent massive reconstruction of I-15 in Salt Lake County and other road work for the 2002 Olympics, data show that the percentage of Utah bridges considered deficient has actually increased by a third since 17 years ago — the last time the Deseret Morning News looked in depth at their condition.

The good news is that bridges in Utah are in relatively good condition compared to other states, ranking ninth best overall. Data also show significant improvements have been made in the past five years. Inspectors assure the public that anytime they find a bridge that is imminently dangerous, they will close it.

Also, most of the worst state-owned "deficient" bridges are scheduled for repair or replacement soon. That I-15 Beck Street bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2008. But the future for deficient bridges owned by cities and counties is not so bright: Matching money for grants is difficult to come by.

Falling behind

Back in 1988, the Deseret News found that 13.5 percent of all Utah bridges were considered "deficient." Now, data show that 18 percent are — a 33 percent increase despite hundreds of millions spent on improvements statewide over those 17 years. Nationally 26.7 percent of all bridges are considered deficient.