HARRIS COUNTY – There are more than 50,000 bridges in Texas, and according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, thousands of them are considered as inadequate.
According to the state, there are 3,573 bridges in Harris County. The FHWA report lists 32 as "structurally deficient" and another 1,517 as "functionally obsolete."
The state defines functionally obsolete as a bridge that fails to meet design criteria for deck geometry, load carrying capacity, vertical or horizontal clearances and approach roadway alignment.
For example, the bridge at Yale and Interstate 10 has a sign that states commercial trucks are not to cross this bridge. According to TxDOT, upgrades have been made and eventually the bridge will be replaced.
Montgomery County has 45 bridges that are considered structurally deficient. Fort Bend and Galveston counties each have less than 12.
TxDOT told Local 2 that some bridges are checked more often than every two years. They want to be proactive to avoid potential catastrophes that we have seen in other states.
Click here to view and download the full report.