One in 12 Illinois bridges is rated as structurally deficient, and the number has grown over the last two years, according to a national report released Wednesday.
The Fix We're In For 2013 finds that drivers in Illinois are regularly traveling across heavily trafficked bridges rated structurally deficient - bridges that could become dangerous or closed without repair.
Some of the bridges rated as structurally deficient in Jackson County are the Route 127 bridge in Murphysboro, built in 1925 and the Route 13 bridge, 3 miles west of Carbondale, built in 1954.
In Williamson County, the bridges structurally deficient include the Old Railroad Bridge at the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, built in 1962 and the Interstate 57 bridge at the Route 13 exit in Marion, built in 1960.
Governor Pat Quinn this year announced a construction plan that he said would replace or rehabilitate hundreds of bridges across Illinois. The plan relies on the state's expected federal allocation, in addition to revenue raised from bonds and existing state and local revenue sources.
