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The Cost of Seismically Retrofitting Bridges Is Huge

How would you feel if you were 107 years old?

I can tell you my bones would be creaking and what flexibility existed 50 years ago would be totally gone. This is the situation for bridges studied in Seattle, Wash., when it came to fixing seismically at-risk structures, see this Seattle Times article: “Seattle scales back earthquake work on city bridges as costs soar.”

Surprise, surprise — bridges wear out! I expect there are those who hope that the current federal infrastructure funding measure before Congress will help bail out the city of Seattle. However, this is just one city and with the major structures at risk, they’re looking at close to a billion dollars to fix and not replace existing structures. 

This is why the D- grade is being given to our nation’s infrastructure health overall.  

I can tell you already that today, the commute to and from West Seattle has been significantly impacted by the closures and limited access due to the West Seattle Bridge (which is not 100 years old) being at risk of collapse. Those traffic restrictions may go on for several more years as repairs are undertaken to shore up the bridge. 

Daniel Gilbert, an investigative reporter with the Seattle Times who wrote a number of articles on seismic neglect in Washington state, shared the link above.

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.