12% of Louisiana bridges are in poor condition
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Louisiana has almost twice as many bridges in poor condition as the national average, federal numbers show.
Why it matters: While the bridge collapse in Baltimore was due to a series of unlikely accidents rather than crumbling infrastructure, the incident has put renewed focus on the vulnerability of bridges across the U.S.
The big picture: 12.2% of Louisiana bridges are in poor condition compared with 6.8% nationally, according to the Department of Transportation.
- Nationally, that's over 40,000 bridges total.
State of play: Louisiana has more than 12,700 bridges, and 3,149 need repairs, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
- The I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge in Lake Charles is the most structurally deficient bridge in the state, the group said.
- The state is looking at building a new toll bridge to replace it.
Zoom in: Nine bridges in New Orleans metro are closed because they failed inspections, according to DOTD and Fox 8.
- The Seabrook Bridge closed last month due to structural damage, DOTD said, and should be repaired by late this summer.
- Six bridges are closed in Venetian Isles and along the West Pearl River and its tributaries. DOTD says most won't reopen until at least 2028.
Meanwhile, the Port of New Orleans says it has "layered safety measures" to keep the Crescent City Connection safe from damage from ships, writes Axios' Chelsea Brasted.
Zoom out: Nationally, bridge conditions have improved over the past two decades, according to the Department of Transportation data.
- The percentage of bridges in poor condition has been halved from 15.2% in 2000 to 6.8% now.
What to watch: The bipartisan infrastructure law sets aside $40 billion to further repair and rebuild the nation's bridges but that investment will take years to go from ink to concrete.
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