FORBS: The U.S. has over 47,000 structurally deficient bridges

Baltimore's colossal Key Bridge collapsed when container ship crashed into it flinging 'multiple' cars and a semi-truck into the river amid fears of mass casualties.

In the United States, the conversation about the state of the country's deteriorating infrastructure has started getting louder. This is partly due to President Trump's long-stalled campaign promise to boost spending on infrastructure, possibly by as much as $1 trillion. According to a new analysis from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, there are 178 million daily crossings on over 47,000 structurally deficient U.S. bridges, FORBS informs.

The pace of improvement has slowed according to the analysis and at the current rate, it would take 80 years to fix all of the nation's structurally deficient bridges. 4 out of 10 U.S. bridges need to be replaced or repaired, including 1 in 3 bridges on the Interstate. If placed end-to-end, the length of the country's crumbling bridges would stretch nearly 1,100 miles, from Chicago to Houston. As of 2018, the total repair bill would be an estimated $171 billion.

Given the grim findings, where are Americans most at risk? The following infographic shows the states with the most structurally deficient bridges and Iowa is in first place. 19.4% of its bridges need repair and the total number amounts to 4,675. Pennsylvania comes second with 3,770 bridges in need of attention, 16.6% of the total. while Oklahoma has the third-highest number at 2,540 – 11% of all its bridges.

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