Record Transportation Funding Spurs Spike in Bridge Projects
 Trinity River Corridor Project The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, features a 395-ft-tall parabolic steel arch. |
As transportation funding reaches record levels nationwide, state and local authorities are making bridge work a fiscal priority in their budgets, focusing on reducing the number of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in their inventories. In the wake of the Interstate 35-W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August, the spotlight is shining even brighter on the need for infrastructure improvements on the nation's highways, sparking a reaction among legislators that could funnel more funding into the sector.
According to estimates from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Washington, D.C., the value of bridge and highway construction put in place will hit $75.2 billion in 2007, a 4.5% increase over 2006. Although values continue to climb, this year the market has seen a cooling down compared to the 12.1% increases seen in 2006 and the 9.4% increase in 2005.
Bridge projects are rising faster. In 2005, bridge work put in place rose 7.3% to $14.8 billion, then jumped 37.3% in 2006 to $20.4 billion. The sector is expected to wrap up 2007 with a 16% increase to $23.6 billion. By comparison, highway pavement work has ranged between $44 billion and $45 billion for the last three years.
ARTBA Vice President and Chief Economist Bill Buechner says the recent increases in bridge work are part of a long-term trend among state and local authorities to focus on the sector. A decade ago, about 20% of all money spent by state and local authorities went to bridge improvements, he says. Now, it is closer to 30%. “The state DOTs have been putting a lot of money into addressing the bridge problem,” Buechner says.
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| The fiscal 2008 transportation spending bill boosts highway spending to record levels and includes $1 billion for deficient bridges. |
Statistics suggest that the move is having an impact. According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, the number of structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges nationwide dropped from 167,581 in 2000 to 152,428 in 2007. However, federal funds so far have played a limited role in supporting that trend. Buechner notes that the federal bridge program has seen its share of federal highway bill funding drop in the past decade, currently accounting for nearly 11% of funding in SAFETEALU. “This certainly has not been a mandate from the Federal Highway Administration,” Buechner says. “It has all been decisions taking place at the state and local level.”
Changing Views
But that could change. Outrage over the collapse of the Interstate 35-W bridge in August prompted the Senate to call for an additional $1 billion in federal funds for bridge improvements in fiscal year 2008 an increase of nearly 20%. With the increase, the FHWA’s Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program would hit $6.3 billion for the year. Under the proposed funding hike, California and New York would each receive an additional $100 million. Pennsylvania would get $94 million more and Louisiana $40 million.In October, the House Transportation Committee approved legislation that would offer $2 billion for bridge improvements nationwide. Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (Minn.) originally had proposed a three year $25-billion package, but the measure, which called for a 5¢-per-gallon fuel tax increase, was shot down in committee.
Although work on the bridge funding bills continues and would need to be approved by President Bush, Dave Bauer, vice president of government affairs at ARTBA, says the recent activity in Congress sends a strong message. “You won’t see any sort of short-term attention span brought to this problem,” Bauer says. “The immediate action to increase bridge funding in fiscal year 2008 is a strong message in the short term, but the fact that Chairman Oberstar is looking into it suggests that there will be a sustained effort at the federal level on addressing bridge conditions.”
Among the immediate needs for federal funds is the I-35W bridge replacement. In September, lawmakers authorized $250 million to clean up the site and build a replacement bridge, but funds have not yet been fully appropriated. In October, Minnesota DOT awarded a $243-million...
...contract to a joint venture of Flatiron Constructors, Longmont, Colo., and Manson Construction, Seattle. The 1,216-ft-long, 10-lane concrete bridge will feature a 504-ft-long precast segmental main span. The project is expected to be completed by Christmas 2008.
As MinnDOT moves forward with I-35W, the future of other state bridge and highway projects is in doubt. With some funding in limbo, Bob McFarlin, assistant to the commissioner at MinnDOT, said the agency runs the risk of having to shelve other scheduled projects. “We’re working with the legislature to adjust MinnDOT’s spending authority so we can move forward with I-35 and keep everything else on schedule,” he says. “So far, they have not fully approved the governor’s request in this regard. We have about $80 million in projects, including bridges, hanging in the balance waiting to see if we can get the authority to move forward.”
As the state looks more broadly at its infrastructure demands, McFarlin says that highway and bridge funding is expected to rise to the top of the agenda during budget hearings next year. “The collapse of the [I-35] bridge has certainly heightened the debate,” he says. “It will probably be the top issue when the legislature convenes in February.”
Georgia is among the states focusing on reducing its inventory of ailing bridges. Bill Duvall, assistant state bridge engineer, says upgrading existing bridges has been a focus for the past three years. In that time, the level of structurally deficient bridges in the state has dropped from 8% to under 5%. “We’ve been one of the best states in the country at staying on target with bridge maintenance and inspection,” Duvall says, noting that all bridges are inspected every two years.
But the state’s focus on maintenance leaves limited funds for new needs. The largest bridge job awarded this year was part of the $191-million I-20/I-520 interchange reconstruction project near Augusta. The contract was awarded to Scott Bridge Co., Opelika, Ala., and United Contractors, Great Falls, S.C. No large bridge projects are scheduled to go out to bid next year. “Georgia is facing a $7.7-billion funding shortfall over the next six years,” says a Georgia DOT spokesperson. “We could really use any additional funding sent along by the federal government.”
Coast to Coast
Major cities and metropolitan areas continue to be the benefactors of significant bridge funding. New York City DOT has a $5.8-billion, ten-year capital plan dedicated to bridge improvements. That plan follows nearly $3 billion of bridge work performed since 2000. In the next two years, nearly $2 billion is earmarked to fund several reconstruction projects, including work on the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. In August, NYCDOT awarded a $612-million contract for the Willis Avenue Bridge replacement project, which is being built by a joint venture of Omaha, Neb.-based Kiewit Corp. and Cranford, N.J.-based Weeks Marine Inc. FHWA will provide $282 million for that project.In a September hearing before the New York City Council, NYCDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan touted her department’s efforts to improve its bridges. In 1997, the city had 40 bridges that were rated “poor,” and today only three are rated poor, she told the council. Bridges rated “fair” dropped from 530 to 456 during that time, she said.
California is also among the states dedicating significant funds toward addressing bridge conditions in recent years, particularly in major metropolitan areas. The state’s bridge program is highlighted by a $5.49- billion effort to improve the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Last year, state authorities selected a joint venture of Coraopolis, Pa.-based American Bridge and Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Fluor Enterprises to build the $1.43-billion self-anchored suspension bridge for the new East Span of the Bay Bridge. Work is expected to be completed in 2013.
 Minnesota DOT Congress authorized $250 million for the new I-35W bridge. |
Several other major contracts are being awarded as part of the Bay bridge project. In June, MCM Construction, North Highlands, Calif., was selected to build a $178-million touchdown segment in Oakland for the East Span. Next year, the state will advertise bids for a transition structure that engineers estimate could cost $276 million. Another Oakland touchdown project, estimated at $62 million, is expected to go out to bid in November 2010. A contract for demolition of existing structures will follow in 2012, estimated at $239.2 million.
Outside of the state bridge program, the Doyle Drive Bridge, which provides access to the Golden Gate Bridge, is also scheduled for replacement. The $810-million project will be funded through $405 million of state funds, $100 million of San Francisco Proposition K funds, $71 million of State Transportation Improvement Program funds and $25 million of federal funds.
While the vast majority of bridge projects are geared toward improving existing bridges, some cities are investing in new crossings. The Trinity River Corridor project calls for building three new bridges across the Trinity River between northern and southern Dallas. Williams Brothers, Houston, currently is building the $69.7-million Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which is the first vehicular bridge in the U.S. designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The signature bridge is highlighted by a 395-ft-tall central parabolic steel arch with cables that fan out to support the 600-ft-long clear span. The bridge will also require $50 million in connections to existing roads. Completion scheduled for August 2009.
Two other bridges, also designed by Calatrava, would replace the existing I-30 and I-35 bridges.
