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7. Maintaining bridges in fair or better condition.
Outlook: Partly sunny, future uncertain
97% of Thurston County Bridges are in good or fair condition. The most cost-effective time to rehabilitate a bridge is when it is in fair condition, however without dedicated funding for local bridge rehabilitation, bridge condition is likely to deteriorate.
Target
No target has been identified.
Why is this Important?
Bridges provide vital links in our transportation network. Safe, functional, bridges are critical to the movement of people, goods, and freight.
What are we measuring?
Number of bridges in "good" of "fair" condition, where:- Good bridges range from no problems to some minor deterioration of structural elements.
- Fair bridges have sound primary structural elements but may have deficiencies such as minor section loss, deterioration, cracking, spalling, or scour.
- Poor bridges have advanced deficiencies such as section loss, deterioration, cracking, spalling, scour, or seriously affected primary structural components. Bridges rated in poor condition may be posted with truck weight restrictions, but are still safe to travel.
Key Observations
There are 235 bridges in Thurston County; 40% are on or over major state routes and more than 50% are on local roadways. 42% of Thurston County’s bridges are in Fair Condition – or the condition where it is most cost effective to rehabilitate a bridge – however funding for preservation and rehabilitation of state bridges is insufficient to meet current needs. Funding for maintaining and extending the service life of locally owned bridges is even more limited. With bridges providing critical links in our transportation network, if adequate funding is not secured in coming years, travelers can expect greater restrictions on travel over bridges – especially on the locally owned bridge network.
Bridges are identified as a priority area in Thurston Regional Planning Council's State of the System report. For more information about bridges, strategies to maintain them, and funding sources, visit: State of the System: Bridges.
Update Frequency
Updated every 3-5 years. Last updated 2017.