ALBANY – Here’s some good news for drivers in Western New York: The region’s locally owned bridges are in better condition than their counterparts across most of the state.
The bad news is the region remains home to scores of locally owned bridges in “poor” condition, according to a new report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli covering 2023.
Gradings of 1,412 locally owned bridges in five Western New York counties determined 669 of the spans (47.4%) were in “fair” condition; another 641 (45.4%) were in “good” condition; and the other 102 (7.2%) were in poor condition. The region boasted a higher percentage of bridges in good condition and lower percentage of bridges in poor condition than the statewide percentages figures but performed below the state’s overall percentage of bridges in fair condition.
![Cazenovia Creek Bridge Damage](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/buffalonews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/99/4999f254-99ca-11ed-986c-e3f515d3ee32/63cc4b34e9b9b.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Chunks of damaged concrete sit near the Cazenovia Creek Bridge in West Seneca, which carries more than 31,000 vehicles a day.
The five Western New York counties had a higher percentage of local bridges in good condition than the Southern Tier, Central New York, Mohawk Valley, Capital Region, Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, falling under only the Finger Lakes and North Country.
People are also reading…
The region’s most poorly rated locally owned bridges were in Chautauqua County (26), followed by Erie County (25), Cattaraugus County (19), Allegany County (24) and Niagara County (8). The study identified an additional 14 poorly rated locally owned bridges in Genesee County, eight in Orleans County and two in Wyoming County. The three counties were not included as part of Western New York in the study.
The comptroller’s report, titled “The Conditions of Locally Owned Bridges in New York State, An Infrastructure Update,” said it can be difficult for local governments to invest in long-term infrastructure needs, such as upgrade of bridges, while also maintaining day-to-day operations.
“When choices must be made, local governments sometimes postpone infrastructure spending in favor of short-term needs,” the report stated. “For some types of infrastructure, the consequences of underinvestment can be severe. Failing to invest in bridges, for example, involves risks, not just to public safety but also commerce, economic development and even national security.”
The state requires its 17,573 bridges to be inspected at least every two years. DiNapoli’s report covered only bridges owned by local governments, which accounted for 8,891 bridges, a little over half of them. The state Department of Transportation, which inspects the bridges, assigned a number grade between zero to nine to assess the bridge’s ability carry vehicular loads. It forwarded its findings to the Federal Highway Administration.
A bridge was rated poor if any major component, such as a deck, superstructure or substructure, received a grade of four or less. A grade of five or six was the basis for fair. Grades of seven to nine indicated a good condition.
Residents who live near the Route 20 Bridge over Cazenovia Creek say the project is going too far, adding improvements for pedestrians in an area where walking is a rarity and taking property from private landowners.
In Erie County, bridges graded poor included several bridges in Buffalo, including a section of Route 5 crossing the Buffalo Creek that carries an average daily traffic flow of 40,588 vehicles; a section of Route 20 in West Seneca crossing Cazenovia Creek, which carries an average daily traffic flow of 31,153; a section of Route 75 in the town of Hamburg, near I-90, carrying an average daily traffic flow of 24,142, as well as Route 62 at its junction with Interstate 90, which carries a daily traffic flow of 12,719.
Another three sections of Route 5, including a bridge in the town of Brant crossing the Muddy Creek (daily traffic average of 5,876) and two bridges in the town of Evans crossing the Big Sister Creek and Little Sister Creek (daily traffic averages of 9,835), received poor ratings.
In Niagara County, a section of Interstate 190 in the town of Lewiston near Route 104, which carries a daily traffic flow of 11,962, received a poor rating, as did a section of Route 104 in Newfane Town carrying an daily traffic flow of 6,759.
Susan S. Surdej, a spokesperson for the DOT in Western New York, said the state was “one the most aggressive road and bridge renewal programs in the United States,” and that DiNapoli’s report “highlights the need for continued federal partnership and commitment to a long-term national strategy to address infrastructure needs.
The estimated cost of improvement repairs in the region was just over a billion, the report said.
The DOT spokesperson noted that Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced $484 million in funding for 137 local governments to use to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts.
Elizabeth Carey, a spokesperson for the American Automobile Association for Western and Central New York, said she was pleased with the governor’s investment.
“AAA is an advocate for traffic safety, and a large portion of that is supporting infrastructure for drivers,” she said. “All motorists deserve safe roads and bridges while strong infrastructure also has a direct impact on New York’s economy.”
In 2022, a nonprofit transportation research organization known as TRIP released a report stating that driving on the roads in the Buffalo and Niagara Falls metropolitan area cost the average driver $1,866 per year due to driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel and due to congestion-related delays. The group also highlighted the cost of traffic crashes in which the absence of adequate safety features was a contributing factor.