Community Corner
These Puget Sound Bridges Are 'Structurally Deficient'
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association is out with its 2018 ranking of structurally deficient bridges in the U.S.
MERCER ISLAND, WA - Next time you drive I-90 across Lake Washington, consider this: it's the most highly-traveled "structurally deficient" bridge in the state. That's according to a analysis of public records by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).
Each year, ARTBA releases a list of structurally deficient bridges using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Bridge Inventory. That inventory rates bridges on scale of 0 to 10. Any bridge with a rating of 4 or lower is labeled "structurally deficient."
According to the data, there are 8,233 bridges in Washington and 4.8 percent, or 399, are rated structurally deficient. "Structurally deficient" doesn't mean the bridge is unsafe to drive on, but it does mean there's at least one "significant defect." That can include flooding: the Lake Washington floating bridges are susceptible to water damage during a storm or seiche.
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Here are the top 25 most-traveled structurally deficient bridges in Washington, according to ARTBA:
| Bridge | County | Daily Crossings |
| Homer Hadley Memorial Bridge (I-90) | King | 66,500 |
| Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (I-90) | King | 66,500 |
| SR 520 over Lake Washington | King | 60,221 |
| SR 520 over 116th Ave NE (Bellevue) | King | 49,647 |
| SR 99 over city streets & Railroad (Seattle) | King | 41,000 |
| S Boeing Access Rd over BNRR (Tukwila) | King | 38,800 |
| S Boeing Access Rd over Airport Way Bar Ramp (Tukwila) | King | 38,800 |
| SR 99 over city streets & Railroad (Seattle) | King | 38,000 |
| S 212th St over Green River (Kent) | King | 35,000 |
| I-90 over Hangman Creek (Spokane) | Spokane | 34,707 |
| I-90 over Hangman Creek (Spokane) | Spokane | 34,707 |
| I-5 over Lewis River (Woodland) | Clark | 32,564 |
| I-5 over E Fork Lewis River (Woodland) | Clark | 32,564 |
| US 101 over Chehalis River | Grays Harbor | 28,644 |
| Gravelly Lake Dr over BNRR (Lakewood) | Pierce | 27,805 |
| I-90 over Raging River (Preston) | King | 27,713 |
| I-90 over SR 906 W-W Ramp (North Bend) | King | 27,583 |
| I-90 over Game Crossing | King | 27,508 |
| SR 167 over BNSF RR (Sumner) | Pierce | 27,455 |
| Yesler Way over 4th Ave S (Seattle) | King | 27,000 |
| I-90 over W Snoqualmie | King | 22,656 |
| I-5 over Samish River (Burlington) | Skagit | 22,561 |
| I-5 over Toutle River (Castle Rock) | Cowlitz | 22,511 |
| SR 302 over Henderson Bay (Purdy) | Pierce | 21,268 |
| W Garfield St/Magnolia Bridge (Seattle) | King | 20,700 |
File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch
Find out what's happening in Mercer Islandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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