AAA: Lexington County Bridges Among State's Worst

Three Lexington County bridges are among the state's worst overpasses, according to a report released by AAA this week. 

The Interstate 26 bridge over Southern Railway three miles west of West Columbia is the second-worst in the state, according to the report, which takes into account the bridge's safety rating as well as the amount of traffic it carries. 

About 568,400 cars pass over the I-26 bridge weekly, according to the report. 

Two other bridges on I-26 in Lexington County also made AAA's list. The bridge that passes over S.C. 302 two miles southwest of West Columbia is the fourth worst, and the one that passes over U.S. 1 one mile west of West Columbia is the fifth worst. 

No work is scheduled for any of the Lexington County bridges on the list, according to the report. 

Richland County has the worst bridge in the state. The I-26 bridge that passes over C.N. and L. Railroad three miles northwest of Columbia has been number one on the list every year since 2000, except in 2009 when it was number two.

South Carolina has the lowest highway funding per mile in the country, with the fourth-largest state-maintained highway system, covering more than 41,000 miles, according to the report.

"Inadequate funding for road and bridge maintenance over the past decade means we still have a significant number of substandard bridges in South Carolina,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “We need to find new sources of funding for our state’s Department of Transportation.”