WASHINGTON, D.C. — One in nine of the bridges and overpasses American drivers cross each day is rated in poor enough condition that they could become dangerous or be closed without near-term repair, according to a report released by Transportation for America. The report, “The Fix We’re In For: The State of the Nation’s Bridges,” ranks states in terms of the overall condition of the state’s bridges, with one being the worst, 51 being the best. Twenty-three states across the country have a higher percentage of deficient bridges than the national average of 11.5 percent.

Nearly 70,000 bridges nationwide are rated “structurally deficient” and are in need of substantial repair or replacement, according to federal data. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that the backlog of potentially dangerous bridges would cost $70.9 billion to eliminate, while the federal outlay for bridges amounts to slightly more than $5 billion per year.

The five states with the worst bridge conditions have more than 20 percent structurally deficient bridges: Pennsylvania has the largest share of deteriorating bridges at 26.5 percent, followed by Oklahoma (22.0 percent), Iowa (21.7 percent), Rhode Island (21.6 percent), and South Dakota (20.3 percent).

At the other end of the spectrum, five states have less than 5 percent of their bridges rated structurally deficient: Nevada leads the rankings at 2.2 percent, followed by Florida (2.4 percent), Texas (3.0 percent), Arizona (3.0 percent), and Utah (4.5 percent).

“Since the 2007 collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Americans have been acutely aware of the critical need to maintain our bridges,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. That need is growing rapidly, the report authors noted, as the average age of bridges passes 42 years for bridges that mostly were designed to have a 50-year lifespan before reconstruction or replacement.

“As Congress takes up the next six-year transportation bill, it is imperative that we devote a larger share of funding to protecting our bridges” Corless said. “Americans also want to see more accountability for maintaining our infrastructure: 64 percent of voters say that the way government currently spends money on building and maintaining our transportation infrastructure is inefficient and unwise, according to a February poll for the Rockefeller Foundation.”

Some states have seen their backlog of deficient bridges shrink in number. For example, the Washington Department of Transportation has adopted a policy to give top priority to making repairs before costly reconstruction is needed. Compared with a national average of 11.5 percent, only 5.1 percent of Washington’s bridges are considered structurally deficient.

“Washington State Department of Transportation has made sound policy choices, but our state, like so many others, is cash-strapped and needs greater federal support,” said Paula Hammond, Washington State DOT secretary. “The federal government should recognize those states that have made asset management a priority and increase funding available to meet growing transportation needs.”

“The backlog of needed repairs to America’s bridges is daunting. Until our current infrastructure is put in stable condition, the federal government should reward states that make the smart choice to first maintain what we’ve already built,” said Al Biehler, president, Allen Biehler Consulting LLC, and former secretary of PennDOT. “And as a bonus to the economy, recent analysis has shown that repair work on roads and bridges generates 16 percent more jobs than new construction.”

“Continuing to let our roads and bridges slide into a state of disrepair is no way to support an economy that depends on the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the country,” said Andrew W. Herrmann, president-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Advisory Council Chair for ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. “Just as transportation agencies must fix our bridges, Congress must fix our transportation programs to put a priority on repair and maintenance of our existing infrastructure.”

The release of “The Fix We’re In For: The State of our Nation’s Bridges” is the first in a series of reports and web components as part of a new campaign launched by Transportation for America. The report and its online maps can be found at T4america.org.