The national rate was 29 percent. Deficiencies showed up in almost 26 percent of the 4,517 bridges in North Dakota and in about 15 percent of Minnesota's 12,811 bridges last year. Nearly 29 percent of Nebraska's 15,507 bridges were deficient. Leon Schochenmaier, regional engineer for the DOT, said the state keeps tabs on problem bridges. Detailed evaluations are done every other year.
Inspectors look for structural decline such as rusted or cracked beams and other problems.
They study whether a bridge is wide enough for those using it most regularly, Schochenmaier said. As problems come up, bridges are placed on a list. The worst bridges get replaced first. And as bridges at the top of the list get built, the ones below it move up the system. Highway 281 overpass in downtown Aberdeen.