One in 12 Saline County bridges deemed 'structurally deficient'

A statewide ballot question could help increase funding for bridge repair projects in Saline County, where one of every 12 bridges is deemed structurally deficient by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

If approved by voters this November, state road funds would be committed to transportation-related projects. Supporters of the ballot initiative said up to $7 billion in transportation funds have been used for other purposes over the past 12 years.

"We have to make sure our bridges and roads are safe and that the state has the funding available to kick in when we have a problem," said state Sen. Gary Forby, a Benton Democrat whose district includes Saline County. "We need to stop robbing the road fund."

Saline County has 16 bridges deemed structurally deficient. IDOT is responsible for maintaining half those bridges, the county is responsible for two and townships are responsible for the rest.

Only one of the structurally deficient bridges has elements determined to be in "critical condition," according to state inspection reports. The deck and superstructure of the Route 34 bridge over Spring Valley Creek, just east of Rudement and a few miles south of Harrisburg, were both rated "critical" during a 2015 inspection. Urgo said the bridge, which averages 3,500 vehicles daily, is under reconstruction.

Two other IDOT-maintained bridges are heading for reconstruction, three are included in IDOT's upcoming five-year plan and one is being considered for a "future multiyear plan," Urgo said.

Bridges are deemed structurally deficient after engineers inspect and rate the three main structural components of the bridge - deck, superstructure and substructure - and find flaws that could jeopardize the integrity of the bridge. The deck is the road. The superstructure is made up of the horizontal supports underneath the road. The substructure is made up of the vertical equipment that supports the other bridge elements to the ground. Often, when a bridge is rated structurally deficient, weight limits and use restrictions are put in place to reduce the possibility of further damage. There are no such restrictions on this bridge.

"A bridge deemed structurally deficient does not mean that it is unsafe," said IDOT spokeswoman Gianna Urgo. "A structurally deficient rating means there are elements that need to monitored, inspected and maintained on a more regular basis. If any unsafe conditions are identified, the structure is closed."