Danger! The worst ‘structurally deficient’ bridges in New Jersey

🚗 Much of New Jersey's bridge inventory is classified as "poor"

🚗 At the same time, NJ's rate of bridges considered "fair" continues to rise

🚗 NJ is home to more than 6,800 bridges

Hundreds of bridges in New Jersey are marked as "structurally deficient" in a 2024 report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

Repairs are needed on about a third of all the bridges used by vehicles in the Garden State, but some are more desperate for fixes than others, the report suggests.

Still, according to the analysis, the prevalence of poor bridges is worse in many other states.

The Garden State ranks 27th in the nation for its percentage of structurally deficient bridges.

Of the state's 6,827 spans, 6% are classified in the report as structurally deficient, meaning one of the key elements — the deck or substructure — is in poor or worse condition.

NJ response

When reached for comment, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, which maintains 38% of the state's bridges, noted that "structurally deficient" does not mean unsafe.

SEE ALSO: 2 reasons why NJ drivers are among the worst

"While we are making progress reducing the number of bridges in poor condition, the rate of bridges in fair condition requiring repairs is also increasing," said NJDOT's Stephen Schapiro. "The average age of a bridge in New Jersey is 57 years and older bridges require more frequent maintenance. In addition, New Jersey has some of the heaviest truck traffic in the nation, and snow, ice, and fluctuating temperature cause wear and tear on bridge decks."

The ARTBA report finds the number of bridges classified as structurally deficient in New Jersey (410) is down from 2010's figure (502).

According to NJDOT, there are 11 new capital bridge projects and 19 maintenance projects scheduled to be awarded this fiscal year. This is an addition to more than 60 bridge projects awarded over the past few years. More than 150 bridge projects, meanwhile, are in some stage of design, Schapiro said.

Most traveled "poor" bridges

New Jersey's most traveled structurally deficient bridges tend to be among the oldest in the state, according to the report. Among the 25 listed in the report are:

⚫ Route 495 and ramps over Routes 3 and 1 (Hudson County, built in 1951)

⚫ I-80 over Passaic River (Passaic County, built in 1969)

⚫ Route 4 over Teaneck Road (Bergen County, built in 1931)

⚫ Route 22 over Echo Lake (Union County, built in 1929)

⚫ I-78 over Beaver Brook (Hunterdon County, built in 1941)

Two bridges on the ARTBA list have been replaced, according to NJDOT: Route 46 over Lower Notch Road in Passaic County, and I-76 over Newton Creek, Klemm Avenue, and Conrail in Camden County.

ARTBA notes that most bridges are inspected every two years, so some repairs or planned repairs can take time to be reflected in the data that are gathered for the report.

Nationwide, the report says, more than 221,000 bridges need repair, including 76,175 bridges that should be replaced.

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