SAN ANTONIO – Texas will receive a half billion dollars to help pay for bridge improvements and repairs, with money coming from the federal infrastructure law. The money is aimed at fixing the bridges most in need of repair.
“It will also modernize bridges to withstand the effects of climate change and to make them safer for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians,” Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said in a statement. “Every state has bridges in poor condition and in need of repair, including bridges with weight restrictions that may force lengthy detours for travelers, school buses, first responders or trucks carrying freight,” she added.
The funding is considered the largest federal investment in bridges since the establishment of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s. Bexar County has close to a thousand bridges considered in fair condition, according to a database from the Federal Highway Administration. Another seven are considered in poor condition.
At least two of the bridges on the list are slated for repairs in the coming years: I-35 over Eisenhauer Road and Walters Street over the Union Pacific railroad tracks on the East Side.
The Texas Department of Transportation defines bridges in poor condition are “those exhibiting signs of advanced structural deterioration” but not necessarily unsafe.
Texas has more than 800 bridges considered in poor condition and another 26,100 in fair condition.
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