Many iconic Chicago bridges are deteriorating, officials race to fix problem before disaster strikes
CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's a risk that you might drive over or under every day and not even know it: deteriorating bridges that inspectors have classified as "structurally deficient" or in poor condition.
Chicago is a city of bridges, and the I-Team found one out of every six bridges in the city has been rated as structurally deficient. That conclusion is from National Bridge Inventory data analyzed by the I-Team.
City and state transportation officials tasked with maintaining these bridges are adamant that any bridge that's open is considered safe to use, and "rigorous inspection schedules" are in place to keep travelers safe.
Right now, there are billions of dollars earmarked for repairing the long list of bridges in poor condition across the state and city, something Illinois has never had before, officials say.
Industry leaders attribute the reason why Illinois has so many deteriorating bridges is due to the old age of these bridges, and decades of no funding for upkeep and rehabilitation work.
The 18th Street bridge in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood is one traveled daily by nearly 6,000 drivers. It's among thousands in Illinois considered to be in poor condition.
That's where the I-Team met with University of Illinois-Chicago professor Farhad Ansari, an expert in structural engineering, to examine what's wrong.
"We are looking at a lot of corrosion," Ansari said while examining the bridge's underside. "A lot of shear cracks, major shear cracks."
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Bridge conditions are graded on a scale of zero to nine by state inspectors: zero is failing and nine is considered to be in excellent condition.
A rating of four or below is considered structurally deficient and in poor condition.
The 18th Street bridge was most recently rated a four, meaning it's in need of repair but not in the most serious risk category.
Ansari said such a middle-of-the-road rating doesn't mean it's not a problem.
"Structurally deficient bridges may not create an imminent danger, but they are dangerous," Ansari said, explaining that left unaddressed, the problems with a structurally deficient bridge can get worse.
The Chicago Department of Transportation is in charge of maintaining the 18th Street bridge, and CDOT officials told the I-Team it is safe to use, and rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin as early as next year.
Chicago has nearly 100 bridges rated in poor condition, including some of the most iconic bridges over the Chicago River in the downtown loop.
Downtown bridges ranking in poor condition include the Dearborn, LaSalle, and Clark Street bridges, along with the DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge over the river.
A spokesperson for CDOT says construction on the DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge is already underway, and that the city has a "robust bridge and viaduct program to monitor, repair, and reconstruct the more than 300 bridge and viaduct structures that CDOT maintains."
Other bridges in the city are in desperate need of repair include the Grand Avenue bridge over the Kennedy Expressway.
State inspectors rated the bridge as being in "critical condition" last October, noting it "may require closure," according to an October 2023 inspection report reviewed by the I-Team.
The average daily traffic using that bridge is more than 19,000 vehicles not counting all of the vehicles beneath it.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is responsible for this bridge, and tells the I-Team it's included in the budget slated for repairs in the next four years.
For now, officials say weight limit signs have been posted "to restrict heavy truck traffic" over it, according to an IDOT spokesperson.
Want to know the condition of any bridges you drive over or under? The ABC 7 I-Team created the map below using data from the National Bridge Inventory. Use the map below to search your route. Mobile users can also click here.
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association, a nonprofit that represents the transportation construction industry, ranked Illinois as third in the nation with the highest number of bridges in poor or structurally deficient condition, according to a recent report.
A spokesperson for IDOT told the I-Team, "Structurally deficient is a term used by the U.S. Department of Transportation to mean there are elements of a bridge that need to be monitored, inspected and maintained on a more regular basis. It does not mean a bridge is unsafe or dangerous."
"If any unsafe conditions are identified, the structure is closed," the spokesperson added. "The department relies on a rigorous inspection schedule for all of its bridges - there are no unsafe bridges open in Illinois."
Industry leaders say the reasons why there are so many bridges in need of repair in Illinois are age, and years of no upkeep.
Road and bridge repairs are top of mind for Kevin Artl, the President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois.
"Illinois went through 20 years of little to no funding for infrastructure," Artl explained to the I-Team. "The lack of clear maintenance, lack of repair and upgrades, really put a stress on the entire infrastructure network in Illinois."
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Artl said that changed in 2019 after Gov. JB Pritzker's "Rebuild Illinois" plan passed the legislature with bipartisan support.
The plan carved out $25 billion for road and bridge repairs, and since signing it the Governor's office said there's more money for bridge repairs now than ever before.
"There is $4.97 billion in cash sitting in the primary state accounts to support roads, bridges, and other transportation costs," said Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the governor's office. "When Gov. Pritzker took office the Road Fund had $300 million in it, so the balance is ten times higher today than it was when he took office."
Artl said since the funding, it's been a race to fix the state's long list of higher risk bridges after decades of indifference.
"They are making progress but there's a lot of bridges in this state," Artl said.
