Report: More than 25 percent of region’s bridges need repairs

More than one-fourth of the region’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, some of the worst concentrated in Chesapeake and Southampton County, according to a report released Wednesday. Of 1,237 bridges, 338 are either in need of repairs or don’t meet modern standards.

Transportation experts stress that the ratings do not necessarily mean the bridges are unsafe. The study also states that Hampton Roads fares better than the state and the nation in terms of percentage of deficient bridges.

The study, conducted by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, is the first comprehensive bridge study in the region and examines bridges owned by localities as well as the state, executive director Dwight Farmer said. In September, the commission will release more specifics about its findings and recommendations.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has conducted separate studies and rankings of its bridges.

According to the commission’s report, the worst bridges are deficient – meaning their structure needs to be regularly monitored, inspected and maintained. Fifty-four bridges fall into this category, and 25 are in Chesapeake and Southampton County. They include the Gilmerton, Jordan and 22nd Street bridges.

Norfolk has the greatest number of obsolete bridges at 74. Obsolete means that bridges don’t meet modern standards because they don’t have adequate lane or shoulder widths, or adequate vertical clearances.

All of the state’s bridges are inspected at least every other year. Some are inspected more frequently based on their condition or design, said Camelia Ravanbakht, the commission’s principal transportation engineer . Bridge inspectors close or impose weight limits on unsafe bridges, she added.

The commission began studying local bridges last year at the request of Chesapeake.

“We knew we had a bridge issue here,” said Earl Sorey, Chesapeake’s acting city engineer.

The report will help city leaders prioritize Chesapeake’s bridge needs, he said. The city has 160 bridges, 90 of which are operated and maintained by the city, he said. The majority are owned by VDOT, he said.

The city’s done a good job of maintaining smaller bridges, but the larger bridges require federal, state and local money, Sorey said. The Gilmerton Bridge is scheduled for a $154 million makeover. The project will be advertised next February, and construction will take about three years, he said.

John Keifer, director of public works for Norfolk, disputed the commission’s report, saying the city maintains 50 bridges. Half are rated in good condition, 24 are fair and only one is “poor or worse,” he said. That bridge, he said, is a culvert on Granby Street near Bayview Boulevard. It will be replaced this year.

According to the report, while 4.4 percent of the region’s bridges are classified as deficient, 9 percent of the bridges in Virginia and 12 percent of the bridges in the United States have deficient ratings.

The deficient and obsolete bridges represent 27.3 percent of all Hampton Roads bridges. By comparison, the report indicates 26 percent of Virginia bridges and 25 percent of U.S. bridges meet the criteria.

Staff writer Harry Minium and news researcher Jakon Hays contributed to this report.

Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com