MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "There are more deficient bridges in our metropolitan areas than there are McDonald's restaurants in the entire country," stated James Corless, Director of Transportation for America.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111201/CL15650 )

T4America's report highlights data from the National Bridge Inventory 2010 research by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Transportation Management System provider CTSI-Global illustrated the recent findings in an infrastructure infographic.

Structurally deficient bridges are defined as "in need of more frequent monitoring and critical, near-term maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement."

How many bridges in U.S. urban areas have been rated as structurally deficient? One in nine.

Aging infrastructure is a concern. With an average age of 42 years, many American bridges have been in use longer than the 50 years they were designed to support.

Best and worst bridges?

Among the 102 most-populated U.S. metropolitan areas, Las Vegas/Paradise, Nev. has the lowest percentage of deficient bridges, at 0.2%.

Pittsburgh, Pa. has the greatest percentage of bridges needing repair. 30.4% of its bridges are rated as structurally deficient.

Highlights

• U.S. metropolitan areas have 18,239 deficient bridges. For comparison, there are approximately 14,000 McDonald's restaurants in the entire United States.
• Drivers in U.S. metro areas take 210 million trips over deficient bridges daily.
• The metro area with the most traffic over its deficient bridges is Los Angeles/Long Beach/Santa Ana, Calif., which averages over 34 million trips each day.
• In 2006, $4.6 billion in federal funding was allocated to bridges. In 2009, funding grew to $5.2 billion, an increase of about 13%.
• In 2006, bridge repairs would have required an estimated $48 billion. By 2009, the estimated cost of repairs rose to $70.9 billion, an increase of about 48%.

About CTSI-Global

Founded in 1955, CTSI-Global helps shippers and logistics service providers manage their supply chains - physical, informational and financial - within one global database. For TMS, business intelligence, freight audit and payment and other services, visit www.ctsi-global.com. Connect: Blog - Facebook - Flickr - LinkedIn - Twitter - YouTube. Supply Chain Scholars: Facebook - LinkedIn - Twitter - YouTube. 

SOURCE CTSI-Global

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