Brown said he believes the bill will pass, likely next month, but it’s crucial that citizens keep pressing Congress to act on the legislation and also communities prepare to take advantage of this funding.
“There is a public urgency to this for both reasons: safety and jobs,” Brown said.
Some Republicans say they do not support the bill because they worry it will add to the deficit or contains wasteful or misguided spending.
“Recent spending exceeds America’s capacity to borrow and that is not sustainable,” said Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy. “It’s not compassionate to bankrupt America.”
Ohio has about 27,072 bridges, and about 3,260 (12%) are in need of repairs, which potentially could cost more than $2 billion to fix, according to a report by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.
About 1,375 bridges in Ohio are classified as “structurally deficient,” meaning a key element is in poor or worse condition, the association said, and the Montgomery County engineer’s office says that about 60 it is responsible for are in need of major rehab or replacement.
Montgomery County replaced 10 bridges between 2018 and 2020, Gruner said, and five more are being replaced this year.
Montgomery County has 26 bridges that are tentatively scheduled to be rehabbed or replaced through 2026, Gruner said.
But he said the county could repair more structures if Congress passes the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which would send billions of federal assistance to Ohio for infrastructure improvements.
Brown said the bipartisan bill includes his “Bridge Investment Act” and “Build America Buy America Act” that would create good-paying U.S. jobs while upgrading crumbling infrastructure.
“Think about the economic potential this will unleash,” Brown said at a press conference along the Great Miami River, with the Patterson Boulevard bridge in the background. “This is an investment in the Miami Valley that will pay off for years.”
America used to be the “envy of the world” for its network of highways, bridges and water and sewer systems, but for too long Congress has starved U.S. infrastructure of needed funding, allowing it to fall into disrepair, he said.
The five-span, four-lane Patterson Boulevard bridge was built in 1954 and is one of the largest bridges in Montgomery County that has not been replaced, Gruner said, adding that the county has 525 bridges ― more than any other county in Ohio.
The Patterson Boulevard bridge has issues with the concrete deck, and its steel is rusting, including in areas that cannot be assessed, he said.
The substructure is deteriorating and the bridge is “fracture critical,” which means that if one of its girders fails the whole structure will come down, Gruner said.
“We need to get working on replacing it now,” he said, noting it is expected to cost $20 million to replace the structure. “We are looking for the infrastructure bill to provide us money to deal with bridges like this.”
The U.S. Senate has already passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, but the House has not voted on the measure yet.
Carrie Scarff, director of planning and projects with Five Rivers MetroParks, on Monday pulled a plate-sized chunk of concrete from an expansion joint on Patterson Boulevard bridge, where the structure connects with the land.
Public investment leads to private investment, Scarff said.
“The community invested about $37 million in RiverScape 20 years ago,” she said. “Right now we have tallied in the couple of blocks that surround RiverScape over $400 million in private investment.”
“That is the sort of private return we can get when we invest in infrastructure and when we invest in our public amenities,” she said.
Right now, there is no funding secured to replace the Patterson Boulevard bridge, officials said.
Some Republicans have criticized the bipartisan bill, claiming it provides “green subsidies” as well as “handouts” to states and local governments.
Rep. Davidson said he will vote no on the infrastructure bill, though he says it is likely to pass.
“On the math alone, it fails,” he said. “The bill has entirely too much spending on special interests.”
Sample of most-traveled, structurally-deficient bridges in Ohio
Montgomery County
Shoup Mill Road bridge over storm sewer, built 1968, 26,980 daily crossings
Alex Bell bridge over drainage ditch, built 1968, 19,955 daily crossings
Butler County
State Route 122 bridge over Crawford Street, built 1968, 25,475 daily crossings
Cincinnati Dayton Road bridge over Shaker Run Creek, built 1988, 23,750 daily crossings
Somerville Road bridge over Big Cave Run, built 2009, 23,600 daily crossings
SOURCE: American Road & Transportation Builders Association
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