A new study says that 71 drivers in Chicago cross a structurally defective bridge every second.

CBS Chicago reports the 400 bridges included in the survey were all ones that an engineer has identified a major defect in the deck or support structure of the bridge.

Some of the bridges are shored up with temporary supports.

Regarding the 134 bridges on the list that fall within their domain, the Illinois Department of Transportation said in a statement, “There are no unsafe or dangerous Illinois Department of Transportation bridges open to the public. The state follows a rigorous inspection schedule for all of its bridges.”

The group behind the study, Transportation For America, is calling for more infrastructure spending to repair the crumbling bridge system, before we have another tragedy like the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007 that killed 13 people.

However, as several commenters point out, that bridge collapsed due to a construction error, not because it had been poorly maintained. Also, since Chicago’s government is infamous for graft and cronyism – a great example is Chicago’s “highway to nowhere” that was paid for with taxpayer dollars and just abruptly ends – it’s hard to not take a jaundiced eye towards this initiative, no matter how well-intentioned it seems.

Study: 71 Drivers Cross Defective Bridge Every Second [CBS Chicago]

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