The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore after it was hit by a cargo ship has again put a focus on the condition of the nation’s bridges, some of which are aging.
The Federal Highway Administration maintains a database of the nation’s bridges, with details on the characteristics and conditions of the bridges, based on inspections conducted by the agencies that maintain the spans.
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The 2023 version of the database includes nearly 13,000 bridges within the state of Florida. News4JAX analyzed that data to learn about the condition of bridges in Northeast Florida and across the state. According to the database, 1,474 bridges statewide are either closed or in need of repair based on deteriorating conditions, meaning some aspect of the structure has either failed or is in an “imminent” failure condition.
The database can also be used to identify bridges considered “structurally deficient,” meaning any component of the bridge’s condition, including the deck, the superstructure, the substructure, or the culvert, are rated as “poor” or worse.
All bridges are given an overall condition of good, fair, or poor, based on the lowest condition rating the bridge receives for any of its main components.
It’s worth noting that while this map reflects the 2023 version of the National Bridge Inventory, some bridges may have had subsequent inspections or improvements that change the bridge’s condition.
The Florida Department of Transportation, which inspects all public highway bridges in the state, also publishes a quarterly bridge information report, with data on inspections and ratings, though the included details are different from what’s in the National Bridge Inventory.
