OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Bridges carrying vehicles across Kansas and Missouri are in need of repairs.
Scripps News, KSHB 41 News’ national news partner, discovered more than 14,000 bridges across the country have been in poor condition for more than 10 years.
Bridges receive ratings of poor, fair or good. Agencies previously used terms like “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete.”
Federal guidelines require inspectors to rate bridges every two years. If a bridge receives a poor rating, it might receive inspections every year to keep better track of its condition. Agencies often place weight restrictions on the kinds of vehicles which can use bridges in poor condition.
Structural engineer Julie Sarson stresses labeling a bridge as poor does not mean the bridge is unsafe, rather it means the bridge has ongoing maintenance needs. Through her work at Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell, Sarson has seen an increase in the number of government agencies requesting help with bridge projects over the past two years.
“It’s good news for all of us,” Sarson said. “That they can start replacing some of these structures or repairing some of these structures faster than they had in their previous budget.”
Sarson is currently helping the Missouri Department of Transportation with the Buck O’Neil Bridge replacement project. The new bridge, scheduled to be completely open by the end of 2024, will carry U.S. 169 across the Missouri River in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, for 100 years.
“Even while this bridge is being constructed, we’re still inspecting the old bridge to make sure we are still getting everything we expected, everything is still functioning correctly,” explained James Pflum, MoDOT’s project director for the Buck O’Neil Bridge.
KANSAS
Kansas has 24,907 bridges. About 5% (1,305) of the bridges are currently in poor condition.
Scripps News found 608 of those bridges have been in poor condition for more than 10 years, which ranks Kansas No. 5 on the list of states with the most bridges in poor condition for more than 10 years.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, provided Kansas with $45 million in 2022 and 2023 specifically for bridges. The state anticipates receiving similar amounts of money in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Most drivers don’t even notice which bridges are in poor condition. In Kansas City, Kansas, inspectors have labeled the 18th Street Expressway bridge over the Kansas River as poor. The state hopes to begin construction on a replacement in 2025.
Beth Davis drives over the bridge several times a week to shuttle an employee to work at Quickies Burgers and Fries, the restaurant Davis owns in KCK’s Armourdale neighborhood on the north side of the bridge.
"So far as the actual driving across it, it seems to be OK to me. Not really bumpy,” Davis said. “Seems to be good.”
In 2020, the state created the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, a 10-year, $10 billion investment in infrastructure across the state.
The program gives leaders more flexibility in how they choose which projects receive funding. It also means Kansas has money at the ready should any federal programs require a local match in order to receive federal funding.
“This is really new levels of investment in infrastructure, and it’s been needed for a long time,” said Calvin Reed, secretary of Kansas’s Department of Transportation.
Reed was once a bridge inspector. He believes Kansas faces a unique challenge in that it has the most bridges per capita of any state in the country.
“We have the fewest taxpayers to support our bridges,” Reed said.
Cities and counties own about 80% of the bridges in Kansas. KDOT distributes money to the municipalities for bridge projects through programs like the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program.
But Reed said bridge repairs are like car maintenance, there’s a never-ending list of challenges. Even with all the money in the world to improve bridges today, there would be something to fix tomorrow.
MISSOURI
Missouri has 10,424 bridges. About 7% (804) of the bridges are currently in poor condition.
Scripps News found 560 of those bridges have been in poor condition for more than 10 years, which ranks Missouri No. 7 on the list of states with the most bridges in poor condition for more than 10 years.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, provided Missouri with roughly $100 million in 2022 and 2023 specifically for bridges. The state anticipates receiving similar amounts of money in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
In 2019, Gov. Mike Parson introduced the Focus on Bridges program. This set aside roughly $430 million to fix 250 bridges around the state — about $80 million came from the federal government. All 250 bridges in the project should be fully repaired or replaced by May 2024.
In 2021, Missouri raised its gas tax. Once the incremental increase is in full effect by 2025, the state will collect an additional $460 million annually for road and bridge projects.
That money could help improve the Main Street bridge in West Line in Cass County. Built in 1935, the bridge, which spans Pony Creek, now has a poor rating.
“I never thought there was anything majorly wrong with it, but I’m not an inspector,” said Tyler Gillette, who crosses the bridge every day on his way to and from work.
Gillette admitted West Line is a small town, with a population of about 117, so not many people use the bridge compared to interstate bridges. But he said school buses, Amazon drivers, the postal service and residents rely on the bridge.
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