American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)’s new report about deficient bridges puts Southern California on the top of the list. In fact, six of the worst seven bridges are along Interstate 110. Some of the most heavily traveled bridges on the I-110, 101, 55, 22, 60 freeways need fixes.

While Los Angeles and Orange Counties dominated the list, no bridges in San Bernardino County appeared on the list even though 78 bridges in San Bernardino County and 14 in Riverside County were, according to data collected last year, “structurally deficient.”

The ARTBA report revealed 55,000 bridges across the United States have been deemed deficient, including New York’s famed Brooklyn Bridge and the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington D.C. Yet, Southern California sees a concentration of problematic bridges. This is hardly surprising considering The Golden State has held positions within the top 10 of the list since 2013, the year California ranked fifth in the nation for deficient bridges.

Hasan Ikhrata, executive director for the Southern California Association of Governments, says, “bridges are designed to last 40 to 60 years.” While it does not mean these bridges will immediately begin falling down, it does mean that the clock is ticking for many structurally unsound bridges across the region.

This report brings to light yet another urgent infrastructure issue in our state. Government officials must be kept aware of how important these issues are to Californians.

It is vital to take action now! Too often we wait until after infrastructure fails, tragedy strikes and we find ourselves in a crisis situation.

Join the movement! Lawmakers need to hear your voice on infrastructure issues.