Hundreds of bridges in Kansas’ Third Congressional District are in need of repair, according to a new report from Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids’ office.
That includes at least 10 bridges in Johnson County that are classified as “structurally deficient” and in urgent need of repairs, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
The group defines a bridge as “structurally deficient” if one of its key elements — including its deck, superstructure, substructure or culverts — are in poor condition.
The bridges in Johnson County cited by the report include ones at:
- College Boulevard over Indian Creek (Overland Park)
- Renner Road over I-435 (Lenexa)
- 103rd Street over Indian Creek (Overland Park)
- Kenneth Road over Negro Creek (Leawood)
- Quivira Drive over Kansas River tributary (Shawnee)
- Pflumm Road over Little Mille Creek (Shawnee)
- 135th Street over Cedar Creek (Olathe)
- 83rd Street railroad bridge (De Soto)
- Greenwood Street over Indian Creek tributary (Olathe)
- Arapaho Lane over Indian Creek tributary (Olathe)
The report from Davids’ offie noted that the College Boulevard bridge at Indian Creek is the fourth most traveled structurally deficient bridge in the entire state of Kansas, with an estimated 21,800 daily trips by motorists.
It was originally built in 1976 and, according to Overland Park, would cost roughly $8.5 million to repair.
Davids released the report last week as part of a series on the state of infrastructure across the district. Her office said her goal is to bring in federal funds to help pay for repairs, which could cost an estimated $1.4 billion total.
Davids announced the findings Thursday morning during an event at Central Avenue Bridge in Kansas City, Kan. That century-old bridge shut down earlier this year after officials reported fears that the bridge would fail.
“Thirteen million times a day, people in our community use bridges that need to be repaired,” Davids said. “That’s 13 million daily reminders that these investments can’t wait, and it’s why I’m proud to support policies that bring federal funding to much-needed projects here at home.”
Kansas Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Lindsey Douglas as well as KCK Mayor David Alvey joined Davids to emphasize the importance of investing in local bridges.
A bipartisan infrastructure bill, if passed, could bring as much as $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs, according to the report.
Kansas City metro leaders are calling for passage of the bill as well as support for establishing a $12.5 billion Bridge Investment Program to help fund bridge work.
