Emergency personnel attend the interstate 5 bridge collapse over the Skagit River north of city of Seattle, Washington. (file photo
A newly-released report shows tens of thousands of bridges in the United States are structurally deficient, causing an increase in the price of consumer goods.
The non-profit group Transportation for America stated in a report on Wednesday that 66,405 bridges in the US can no longer handle heavy loads they used to do.
The weakened structures may not collapse right away but they can harm the economy by adding Å“to the cost of transporting goods if a truck canâ„¢t take a direct route,” said David Goldberg, communications director for the advocacy organization.
Big trucks are required to make a detour when lower weight restrictions are imposed on road structures, making their routes longer and adding to the cost of products that consumers buy.
Å“That also means you see big trucks in places you donâ„¢t expect to see them, and a lot of people are nervous about big trucks and prefer that they stay on the biggest roads,” Goldberg added.
The Federal Highway Administration reported that USD 76 billion is needed in order to repair the countryâ„¢s deficient bridges that carry 260 million vehicles each day.
Major bridge collapses have stricken the States of Washington and Missouri in recent weeks, sending vehicles and people into the rivers below.
Washington was recently given a C- for its bridges since more than a quarter of the state’s 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient, according to a report by the American Society of Engineers.
This is while the Midwestern State of Missouri received a C- for its bridges, or Å“3,528 of the 24,334 bridges are considered structurally deficient.”
GMA/KA
This article originally appeared on: Press TV