Ohio’s county bridges worsen

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio is rich in bridges, but far behind in keeping them maintained. As the state’s fiscal picture improves and lawmakers consider how best to put resources to work, fixing bridges should be high on the list.

But there’s a predictable problem: Most of the bridges in the worst shape are owned and maintained by counties, few of which have room in their budgets for major repairs or replacements.

A study by the Associated Press last sprin found that nearly 7,800 bridges nationwide are structurally deficient — meaning at least one major component is deteriorated and has been rated as “poor” or worse by inspectors — and “fracture-critical,” meaning it lacks redundant protections, such that failure of a single component could trigger a collapse.

Ohio, with one of the nation’s largest networks of bridges, has 384 that are both structurally deficient and fracture-critical. Ohio lawmakers deserve credit for moving to address the most-troubled bridges under state control.

But if all of Ohio is to go about its business safely and efficiently, county-owned bridges can’t be allowed to continue to decline.