Report: NC's second-worst highly traveled bridge is in Charlotte, reports find

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The number of structurally deficient bridges in North Carolina is down, but many in the Charlotte area are in desperate need of repair.

According to data released by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) the Brevard Street Bridge near uptown is the second-most highly traveled deficient bridge in the state.

More than 86,000 drivers use the bridge every day.

Channel 9 took a close look at the bridge, and saw that the walls are crumbling and chunks of the bridge are falling apart.

"I think that’s something that needs to be fixed, something that needs to be addressed," said Ben Shenigo, a UNC Charlotte architecture student, who visits the uptown campus every week, passing the I-277 bridge over Brevard Street.

"I don't know why they're not spending money on it now,"

North Carolina Department of Transportation officials said that despite the bridge's problems, it's safe to cross.

"It does not compromise the integrity of the structure and the safety of the structure. It is still cosmetic," said NCDOT spokeswoman Jen Thompson.

The bridge was built in 1967 and accommodates 86,000 crossings each day.

NCDOT said it has secured funding to start repairing the bridge next spring.

In a report that analyzed federal data, North Carolina dropped from the ninth worst state in the country for structurally deficient bridges to 11th.

Numbers show that 10 percent of all bridges in the state are structurally deficient. The data for 2016 shows a slight improvement from 2015, when 14 percent of the bridges in the state were bad.

New reports show that 1,790 bridges have critical parts that are in poor condition.

President Donald Trump promised to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure improvements. Congress met for the first time earlier this month in an attempt to find money to fund the repairs.

"Historically, it's been used in the past to create jobs, trying to like fix the infrastructure, so it's a possibility. Getting the money is going to be tough," said Shenigo.

Trump wants to partner with the private sector to help cover costs.

Representatives in the House are also considering ideas, including raising the gas tax, but no formal bills have been filed.

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