CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Two Mecklenburg County bridges are among the 20 most substandard in North Carolina, according to the annual survey released Friday by AAA Carolinas.
No. 1 on the list is the Interstate 40 bridge over South Buffalo Creek in Greensboro -- a bridge that has ranked as the most substandard five of the last six years.
The two Mecklenburg bridges ranked among the bottom 20 are on I-485 at I-85 in the northern part of the county, and on the John Belk Freeway over South Clarkson Avenue near uptown.
AAA officials say none of the bridges pose an immediate threat to motorists currently.
AAA Carolinas has ranked the state s bridges for 15 years, using data from the N.C. Department of Transportation. AAA officials say they give extra weight to the number of vehicles using a bridge.
The substandard bridges fall under one of two federal categories -- structurally deficient, which means a bridge is either in poor physical condition of inadequate to handle truck weight; or functionally obsolete, which means the bridge is not designed properly for current traffic volume.
The I-485 bridge in north Mecklenburg, built in 1967, is ranked fourth most substandard in the state and is considered structurally deficient. But there is good news -- the bridge is scheduled for replacement, as part of the completion of I-485 between I-85 and N.C. 115.
The state DOT is spending $92.2 million to build a new interchange at I-485 and I-85, and the bridge is scheduled for replacement this year, according to AAA. The entire project is slated for completion in 2014.
That bridge carries about 371,000 vehicles a week, according to state figures.
The John Belk Freeway bridge over South Clarkson Avenue is near the interchange with I-77. That structure is considered functionally obsolete, and it is among the oldest of the substandard bridges, built in 1954.
AAA says a DOT project to add a westbound lane could help with the traffic flow.
According to AAA, about 581,000 vehicles use that bridge each week. That makes it the second-busiest among the 20 most substandard bridges, trailing only the 861,000 vehicles that use the I-40 bridge in Greensboro.
AAA Carolinas president David Parsons says the bridge problem is a matter of money.
Inadequate funding for road and bridge maintenance over the past decade means we still have a significant number of substandard bridges, Parson said. We need to find new sources of funding for our state s Department of Transportation.
The DOT has spent more than $450 million over the last two years to repair or replace 470 structurally deficient bridges. Another $300 million is proposed for similar projects during the next two years.
These are ranked as the 20 most substandard bridges in North Carolina:
1. I-40 (and Business I-85) over South Buffalo Creek, Guilford County ... built in 1955, scheduled for replacement in 2019 ... given a 9.0 rating (on a scale of 1 to 100 by the federal government, with 100 being the best).
2. I-40 Business over Liberty Street, Forsyth County ... built in 1955, scheduled for replacement in 2017 ... 17.0 rating.
3. U.S. 220 at State Route 1452, Guilford County ... built in 1968, no plans for replacement ... 8.0 rating.
4. I-485 at I-85, Mecklenburg County ... built in 1967, being removed this year ... 19.0 rating.
5. I-26 at Hominy Creek, Buncombe County ... built in 1966, scheduled for replacement in 2018 ... 3.0 rating.
6. U.S. 52 at U.S. 311, Forsyth County ... built in 1963, with no work scheduled ... 58.3 rating.
7. U.S. 23 at U.S. 19, Haywood County ... built in 1965, scheduled for replacement in 2021 ... 5.0 rating.
8. U.S. 52 at Diggs Boulevard, Forsyth County ... built in 1971, scheduled for removal in 2015 ... 45.6 rating.
9. U.S. 15/U.S. 501 at State Route 1308, Durham County ... built in 1956, scheduled for replacement in 2021 ... 19.0 rating.
10. U.S. 17 at U.S. 76, Brunswick County ... built in 1968, with no work scheduled ... 15.0 rating.
11. U.S. 76 over Cape Fear River, New Hanover County ... built in 1969, with no work scheduled ... 36.6 rating.
12. N.C. 24/N.C. 210 over CSX railroad tracks, Cumberland County ... built in 1956, scheduled for replacement in 2015 ... 6.0 rating.
13. U.S. 52/U.S. 311 at I-40, Forsyth County ... built in 1971, being repaired this year ... 53.0 rating.
14. I-26 at State Route 3495, Buncombe County ... built in 2012, scheduled for replacement in 2019 ... 23.5 rating.
15. U.S. 70 at U.S. 401, Wake County ... built in 1952, being replaced this year ... 20.9 rating.
16. State Route 2254 at Southern railroad tracks, Guilford County ... built in 1968, with preservation work scheduled ... 42.0 rating.
17. John Belk Freeway at Clarkson Avenue, Mecklenburg County ... built in 1954, with a road improvement project proposed ... 69.9 rating.
18. U.S. 74/U.S. 76 over the Intracoastal Waterway, New Hanover County ... built in 1956, with major renovations under way this year ... 8.0 rating.
19. U.S. 52 at 28th Street, Forsyth County ... built in 1964, with no work scheduled ... 67.0 rating.
20. I-40 (and I-85 Business) at U.S. 29/U.S. 70, Guilford County ... built in 1954, with replacement scheduled in 2015 ... 47.5 rating.
