Several local Louisiana bridges in poor condition, Texas and Arkansas fare better

Yahoo

26-05-2025

SHREVEPORT, La., (KTAL/KMSS) — A recently released US Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study rating the condition of bridges across the country shows several in the area are considered 'poor'.
Progress on new four-lane Jimmie Davis Bridge in Shreveport-Bossier
In Louisiana, Red River Parish had the highest percentage of bridges judged as poor in the state (20/63 bridges, 32%). East Baton Rouge Parish had the most poor bridges overall (114/547, 21%).
Other notable low scores in the area include (all percentages are rounded):
Claiborne Parish – 44/479, 30% Bienville Parish – 52/188, 28%Webster Parish – 51/194, 26%
The rest of the area fares much better:
Bossier Parish – 47/269, 17%Natchitoches Parish – 52/315, 17%Sabine Parish – 22/199, 11%Caddo Parish – 56/685, 8%DeSoto Parish – 13/201, 6%
Final phase of major I-20 rehab project begins in Bossier Parish
The local Texas counties performed very well under this examination. 8% (14/177) of Shelby County bridges received 'poor' grades. Bowie, Harrison, Marion, and Panola Counties were all below 5%, while Cass and Morris Counties had zero poor ratings.
In Arkansas, Lafayette (6%), Little River (7%), and Sevier Counties (5%) ranked worst in the area. Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Miller, and Nevada all had less than 5% judged as 'poor'.
McCurtain County, Oklahoma, had 263 bridges examined, 31 of which (12%) were poor.
Inspectors use a variety of criteria when determining overall scores including age, design, construction, maintenance, and traffic load.
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