Tamara Barak Aparton, The Examiner
2008-07-30 16:33:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

SAN FRANCISCO -

The ongoing upkeep of bridges in the earthquake-prone Bay Area has left the aging structures in better shape than many other spans nationwide, local transportation officials said in response to a recent federal report.

While the report said 152,000 out of the nation’s 600,000 bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, local transit officials said the Bay Area’s bridges are in great shape.

Caltrans spokeswoman Lauren Wonder said local officials haven’t had the luxury of putting off routine bridge maintenance.

“California went through a thorough inventory of all its freeway bridges and toll bridges in the late ’90s, after the Northridge quake and made these projects a priority,” she said. “We’re not like other parts of the country that are just addressing this now.”

The “Bridging the Gap” report analyzes federal highway statistics and concludes that it would cost at least $140 billion to make repairs to all U.S. bridges that need upgrades.

The report suggests increasing gas taxes and new taxes on alternative fuels, turning highways into toll roads and increasing private investment in public projects.

“We found many of the bridges are ‘Baby Boomers,’” said Tony Dorsey, spokesman for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation, which issued the report. “Most bridges are made to last about 50 years and on average, they’re 43 years old.”

If the nation’s bridges are middle-aged, San Francisco’s are in their golden years. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been in operation nearly 72 years and the Golden Gate Bridge for 71.

But the Bay Area, like the rest of the country, is feeling the strain of soaring construction costs. The report found that the costs of steel, asphalt, concrete and earthwork have risen at least 50 percent in the past five years.

Mary Currie of the Golden Gate Bridge District said the federal report is difficult to apply to the Golden Gate Bridge, because of the span’s unique design.

“It falls into a class all its own. It’s a long-span suspension bridge that’s life span is 100 years. With ongoing maintenance, its lifespan could be indefinite,” she said. “We’ve done a tremendous amount of work in its 70-year history, so it’s in great shape now.”

The report also praised Caltrans for responding quickly to repair the damage to the MacArthur Maze last year after a fuel explosion from a crashed tanker truck caused the freeway deck to buckle and fall.

tbarak@sfexaminer.com

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Costly construction

Percentage increase in materials costs from 2003-08

Concrete: 36%

Asphalt: 70%

Steel mill products: 105%

Diesel fuel: 306%

California’s bridges

24,184: Bridges

3,140: Structurally deficient

3,837: Functionally obsolete

7,977: Total deficient bridges

28.9: Percentage of bridges which are deficient

Source: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials