19 Southwest Florida bridges rated ‘structurally deficient’; FDOT says not to worry

Hundreds of thousands of people drive across bridges in Southwest Florida every day but how many of those bridges meet modern safety standards? And how often is it due for repair?

WINK News investigates how the state of Florida inspects each bridge for safety and reveals how Florida bridges compare to the rest of the country.

David Kus has been fishing on a pier right next to the El Jobean Bridge in Charlotte County for about 20 years, which means thousands of trips across the bridge itself.

“Oh wow, it’s almost a daily thing,” he said, “Probably at least five days a week.”

According to state records, the bridge was constructed back in 1959, the same year Alaska was admitted as the 49th state. Making it one of the oldest bridges in the area.

The state rates bridges in three categories; good, functionally obsolete, and structurally deficient.

While Kus said, “it’s good looking from here!” The El Jobean Bridge is rated “functionally obsolete” since it’s not up to modern standards. This could be due to not meeting various requirements such as lanes are narrow, the shoulder is small or the vertical clearance is a bit low. But the documents don’t show the specifics.

Jim Jacobsen with the Florida Department of Transportation says, “It’s still rated in good condition. It’s still doing its job,” and that those bridges are still safe to use. “All it means is, the bridge was built at a time when the current design standards were different than now. It’s still safe, it’s still useable.”

Most of the bridges in Southwest Florida are rated good, like the one over the Hermosa Canal in Cape Coral, for example, which was originally built in 1972. It was widened just last year for improved safety.

FDOT says 97% of Florida bridges achieve the ‘good’ rating.

“The inspectors look from top to bottom, end to end,” Jacobsen explained. “If there’s any changes or deterioration, that’s documented and repairs are planned.”

The lowest of the three ratings a bridge can get in Florida is “structurally deficient.”

One Cape Coral bridge over the Lido Canal is just one of 11 structurally deficient bridges in Lee County, and one of 19 across all of Southwest Florida.

That means it needs to be repaired or replaced in the next six years.

There are four structurally deficient bridges in Collier County, two in DeSoto County and two in Hendry County.

“We have a repair project planned. If it’s at the end of its service life, it may be determined it’s better to replace instead of putting more money into it,” Jacobsen added.

According to federal data, Florida bridges have the 9th highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges compared to the rest of the country.

FDOT says rugged weather and the number of bridges over saltwater create challenges, which can affect its lifespan.

And officials want drivers to know if the bridge is open, no matter what the rating, it’s safe to drive on.

“The bridge is safe,” Jacobsen reiterated. “If it ever changes where we feel the ratings are dropping, it would be closed.”

Every bridge and overpass in Southwest Florida has been inspected within the last two years.

If a bridge is found unsafe, it’s immediately shut down for repair.