The number of Colorado bridges in need of replacement has increased by nearly a third since 2003, prompting transportation officials to ask for $91.3 million in additional funding to fix the worst.
A Colorado Department of Transportation list of the state’s 20 most urgent bridge projects includes at least five “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete” bridges in the metro area that must be replaced or significantly repaired now – though transportation officials warned this week that those plans could go unfunded without significant state help next year.
Overall, 106 bridges in the state received “poor” ratings, up from roughly 80 in 2003.
“We’re not holding our breath” on the funding, said Joe Jehn, who represents Jefferson County on the state transportation commission that will study CDOT’s list at a meeting next week. “But there are serious problems looming, and we can’t repair our bridges with the current funding stream.”
If passed this fall, Referendums C and D – which would let state government keep up to $3.7 billion that would otherwise be refunded under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights – would help fund certain CDOT projects, but few involve bridge work.
Still, said state Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, the referendums could free up additional money to eventually replace aging bridges across Colorado.
“We’re looking at a $492 million shortfall in the state … and finding another $91 million to fix bridges is going to be impossible,” said McFadyen, who chairs the capital development committee that will review CDOT’s request next year.
The capital construction list highlights CDOT’s bridge-related priorities and comes as the transportation department struggles to replace or maintain crumbling bridges without significant increases in money.
Evidence of the state’s aging bridges is visible in concrete chunks that have fallen from roadways in the past two years. Last year, a chunk of concrete dropped from the Speer Boulevard bridge onto Interstate 25. In 2003, concrete from the West Sixth Avenue bridge fell onto the interstate.
In both cases, no one was injured.
CDOT spends roughly $32 million annually from state and federal gas taxes to replace bridges and uses other money from maintenance and emergency funds to do repair work.
Since 1997, CDOT officials said, the bridge-replacement fund has seen its income stagnate, rising only as much as inflation even as the bridge-replacement backlog exceeded $300 million.
In 10 years, CDOT has said, about one-third of the state’s bridges will be at least 50 years old. In 20 years, more than half of them will be at least 50 years old. That means more than 1,500 bridges could be in line for significant repair or replacement.
“The problem is that so many bridges are in such bad shape that they could pose a very serious threat in five years,” said CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman. “We’re not crying wolf here. There are major, major problems.”
While more than 3,200 bridges statewide are in good condition, 488 others need at least some rehabilitation or need to be replaced.
Metro-area bridges on the replacement list include U.S. 285 at Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood; 285 at County Road 60 near Morrison; Colorado 58 near Ealey Road outside Golden; and Interstate 76 at the Union Pacific Railroad line near Commerce City.
Also on the list for replacement or significant repair is the Interstate 70 viaduct near the Denver Coliseum. It would cost at least $16.5 million in state money to rehabilitate the viaduct for the short term.
Eventually, CDOT said, it will need $200 million to completely replace the bridge.
“Basically, we’re putting Band-Aids on these bridges,” said Stegman, the CDOT spokeswoman. “We’re holding them together the best we can.”
Staff writer Robert Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-1282 or rsanchez@denverpost.com.
