The state of bridges

April 24, 2024

AUSTIN — Depending on your age, you might remember ordering items from a catalog — Sears, Sky Mall, etc.

Well, that’s exactly how Texas used to get its bridges. Have a chasm that needs crossing in the late 1800s? Not a problem. Turn to page 12 in the mail order bridge catalog and one will be delivered to you shortly.

Eventually vehicles got larger and traffic grew. Texas soon needed bridges that could carry at least 15 tons, which is about the weight of 5 pickup trucks. Bridges purchased through the mail just didn’t cut it.

Fast forward to 2024. Despite having more bridges than any other state, Texas bridges rank third-best in the nation, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association report of state’s bridge conditions.

Texas bridges go through a painstaking design process that can sometimes take years. Every inch of the bridge is studied, as engineers make certain the structure can perform under many types of conditions.

These new structures benefit from advances in design techniques that target longer design lives for bridges than previous plans. And that level of detailed analysis is continued throughout the life of the bridge – during construction, inspections and ongoing maintenance.

For nearly 40 years, TxDOT has been proactively inspecting bridges, making certain that all open, public-use bridges in the state are safe. That includes bridges both on the state highway system and all city and county bridges. In recent years, the ratings of Texas bridges have steadily improved.

All public-use bridges in Texas undergo routine safety inspections every 24 months. The findings from these inspections, help engineers to identify and quantify the performance of TxDOT’s bridges.

This high degree of self-scrutiny has resulted in significant improvements to the bridges on the state’s transportation system.

The improvement in Texas’ bridge rating is a direct reflection of TxDOT prioritizing bridge replacements and preservation, long-standing construction practices and standards, and the efforts to combat the most severe environments in Texas.

TxDOT has aggressively pursued competitive grant dollars for bridges and aggressively prioritized the safety and maintenance of its bridges. Those grants also help local communities fund repairs to their bridges.

This high degree of self-scrutiny has resulted in significant improvements to the bridges on the state’s transportation system. If a bridge is open to vehicular traffic in Texas, you can be sure it’s safe to cross.