Bridges - 80 years or older

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Bridges 80 years or older

Source: WSDOT Bridge and Structures Office, WSDOT Local Programs Office.
Note: Starting in FY2021, data includes border bridges not included in previous GNBs.

Performance analysis

FY2024

Amount of deck on WSDOT-owned bridges 80 years old or older up 44.4% since June 2020

As of June 2024, 315 of WSDOT's 3,412 bridges were 80 years old or older, accounting for 9.2% of all state-owned bridges. These older bridges comprised approximately 3.61 million square feet of deck area, marking an increase of 5.9% over the 3.41 million square feet of deck area reported in June 2023.

This minor increase in this age and older is because 80 years ago (1944) United States was involved in World War II. Most states were not building bridges for the next several years during the war.

Bridges 80 years old or older made up 6.3% of the total 57 million square feet of deck area on WSDOT-owned bridges as of June 2024. Between June 2023 and June 2024, the total number of WSDOT-owned bridges 80 years old or older remained the same.

Over the five-year period from June 2020 through June 2024, the number of WSDOT-owned bridges 80 years old or older increased by 7.9%, going from 292 bridges in June 2020 to 315 bridges in June 2024. During this time, the amount of bridge deck area 80 years old or older increased 44.4% from approximately 2.50 million square feet in June 2020 to 3.61 million square feet in June 2024.

As its infrastructure assets continue to age, WSDOT forecasts a future of difficult asset management decisions, each with an associated tradeoff. For example, funding construction of a new section of highway may mean delaying needed bridge deck rehabilitation elsewhere. Such delays can be costly; if a bridge deck deteriorates to the point where replacement is the only option, the cost of restoring it to good condition may triple.

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