2015 Bridge Conditions

Oregon

The Fix We’re In For 2015: The State of Oregon’s Bridges

Every day, millions of people from all walks of life in Oregon cities, towns and rural areas travel over one of the state’s 8,052 bridges that carry vehicle traffic. These bridges carry commuters through and within our cities, move people from town to town, help farmers bring their goods to market, and get freight from A to B each and every day. But today, far too many of these bridges are rated structurally deficient — bridges in urgent need of repair or replacement. Oregon today has 439 structurally deficient bridges, representing 5.5 percent of the state’s 8,052 bridges. Those 439 bridges represent a looming crisis for the state.

The average age of these sub-par bridges is 55 years — well over the typical design life of 50 years and 14 years older than average age of all Oregon bridges (41 years old). More than one in twelve Oregon bridges were built before 1948 — which means more than 680 bridges are older than the Korean War and creation of Medicare.

Oregon drivers collectively took close to 533 million trips over deficient bridges in 2014, nearly twice the total of 269 million in 2000. That’s more than 1.4 million trips per day or over 1,000 trips every minute taken over deficient Oregon bridges in 2014.

Oregonians and Oregon businesses rely on bridges each day that are subject to closure or weight restriction if increased maintenance and reconstruction are not undertaken — a potentially crippling impact on personal travel and freight movement.

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Oregon counties bridge summary data

County Percent structurally deficient Total bridges Number deficient Avg. age of deficient bridges Percent of deficient bridges locally-owned Total built before 1948
Linn County 15.1% 556 84 47 95.2% 34
Clatsop County 11.6% 147 17 62 70.6% 28
Lake County 11.4% 88 10 54 0.0% -
Yamhill County 9.6% 136 13 51 84.6% 11
Sherman County 8.9% 45 4 60 50.0% 7
Crook County 7.9% 76 6 57 33.3% 4
Umatilla County 7.3% 329 24 58 83.3% 28
Wasco County 7.1% 154 11 60 54.5% 27
Tillamook County 6.7% 194 13 48 76.9% 35
Marion County 6.5% 369 24 57 83.3% 44
Grant County 6.4% 141 9 40 55.6% 9
Columbia County 6.3% 126 8 66 62.5% 17
Josephine County 6.3% 222 14 49 42.9% 22
Lincoln County 6.2% 178 11 53 72.7% 24
Curry County 5.9% 102 6 48 50.0% 8
Baker County 5.9% 187 11 52 72.7% 11
Jefferson County 5.9% 68 4 60 75.0% 7
Gilliam County 5.6% 36 2 52 100.0% 1
Harney County 5.4% 129 7 49 57.1% 4
Multnomah County 4.7% 473 22 82 40.9% 97
Polk County 4.5% 156 7 56 85.7% 16
Jackson County 4.4% 385 17 54 23.5% 28
Morrow County 4.3% 69 3 59 100.0% 7
Douglas County 4.3% 676 29 49 72.4% 31
Hood River County 4.1% 73 3 57 33.3% 6
Klamath County 4.1% 244 10 51 40.0% 8
Wallowa County 3.6% 111 4 61 75.0% 8
Deschutes County 3.5% 144 5 56 100.0% 4
Wheeler County 3.1% 32 1 84 100.0% 3
Lane County 2.8% 983 28 58 28.6% 52
Washington County 2.6% 311 8 63 50.0% 25
Coos County 2.5% 240 6 55 33.3% 8
Clackamas County 2.3% 350 8 69 75.0% 32
Malheur County 2.2% 181 4 52 75.0% 12
Union County 1.9% 156 3 77 66.7% 13
Benton County 1.6% 185 3 71 100.0% 18