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WSDOT and county officials warn of aging bridges and widening funding gap
Summary
State and local bridge engineers told the Washington State Transportation Commission that thousands of bridges are aging and funding is insufficient for needed preservation, citing a $143 billion replacement value, rising emergency repairs and a 2025 gap between $457 million in local asks and $84 million awarded in federal grants.
WSDOT and local bridge officials told the Washington State Transportation Commission on February 1 that Washington’s bridge network is aging, maintenance and preservation funding is inadequate, and emergency repairs are increasing.
Evan, the state bridge engineer, said WSDOT’s inventory includes 3,427 bridges with a total replacement value of about $143,000,000,000 and an average age of 51.7 years. He said the statewide condition snapshot (June 2025) shows about 9.9% of state bridges in poor condition, 54.3% fair and 35.9% good. "Replacing all bridges that are 80 years and older would cost about $9,200,000,000," Evan told commissioners.
Panelists and county officials described recent emergency closures and repairs that illustrate the problem. James Moore, maintenance operations manager, reviewed emergency responses including a struck span on Bullfrog Road over I‑90 that was reopened under emergency…
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