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Water under troubled bridge Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Eric Dewey, of Medford, fishes on the Rogue River by Rocky Point Bridge on Thursday. The river crossing is one of 54 bridges in the county considered deficient and in need of repair. State transportation officials say they don�t have the money � $8.2 billion � they need just to replace the bridges they own. County's 54 'deficient' bridges qualify for federally funded repairs By Jessica Smith Structures too narrow or weak Under federal guidelines, 54 bridges on local and state roads in Jackson County are considered "deficient." Defined as structures that are too narrow or weak to handle the traffic that depends on them, such bridges typically are eligible for federal funding to cover the cost of repairs. Here�s a handful of bridges that meet those guidelines: Wimer covered bridge at Evans Creek Interstate 5 bridge over Galls Creek in Gold Hill Fern Valley Road overpass at Bear Creek Barnett Road overpass at Bear Creek Talent Avenue overpass at Wagner Creek For more information, visit the Oregon Department of Transportation site at www.odot.state.or.us on the Web. More than 50 bridges in Jackson County are considered "deficient" under federal guidelines, but that doesn�t mean they�re about to fall down. State transportation officials say the 54 local bridges are some of 1,642 in Oregon that qualify for federal funding because of structural problems. "When a bridge is deficient, that doesn�t mean it puts people at risk," said Mark Hirota, state bridge engineer for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "But this brings attention to the fact that the bridges need repairs." Though ODOT spends about $65 million a year to improve state-owned bridges, the department says it is unable to keep up with Oregon�s aging bridge population. About 23 percent of Oregon�s bridges are more than 50 years old. It would take an additional $48 million a year just to maintain Oregon�s bridges at their 1997 conditions, and about $8.2 billion to replace every state-owned bridge. "We�ve been singing this song for better than a year now," said Jared Castle, an ODOT spokesman in Roseburg. "We do need more funding." Oregon is not alone. State governments nationwide are struggling to maintain aging bridges deemed "deficient" by the Federal Highway Administration. Recognizing the problem, Congress has set aside $20.4 billion for bridge repairs. But there�s not enough money to go around. Nationally, 29 percent of bridges, or 167,993 structures, are considered too weak, dilapidated or overburdened for their current traffic, according to a recent report by the Associated Press. Few deficient bridges are in danger of collapsing, according to state and federal transportation officials. Many bridges deemed deficient simply fail to meet current safety standards, such as width of lanes. In Oregon, transportation officials have prioritized bridge repairs in each county. In the draft 2002-2005 state transportation improvement plan, the state set aside about $15.5 million for eight bridge rehabilitation projects in Jackson County. The majority of the improvements include covering decks with concrete and replacing bridge railings, though a couple structures will get earthquake safety improvements. Bridge repairs will cost $233 million State transportation officials plan to spend $233 million by 2005 to repair some of Oregon�s aging bridges. The draft 2002-2005 state transportation improvement plan sets aside about $15.5 million for bridge work in Jackson County. A list of the projects follows: Deck overlay, new railings on Interstate 5 overpass at Eagle Mill Road. Estimated cost: $447,000. Deck overlay, new railings on I-5 overpass at Crowson Road. Estimated cost: $216,000. Deck overlay, new railings, earthquake safety improvements on Medford 1-5 viaduct. Estimated cost: $9.4 million. Deck overlay, new railings on Highway 62 bridge over Rogue River in Shady Cove. Estimated cost: $554,000. Deck overlay, joint repairs on I-5 overpass at McAndrews Road. Estimated cost: $586,000. Earthquake safety improvements and foundation repairs on the twin I-5 bridges that cross the Rogue River at Valley of the Rogue State Park. Combined estimated cost: $4 million. Deck overlay at I-5 overpass (Green Springs Highway), Exit 14 in Ashland. Estimated cost: $250,000. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.