Baltimore disaster: How safe are the bridges in Volusia, Flagler counties?

Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read
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Considering the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, Floridians are asking about the safety of their own bridges.
Considering the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, Floridians are asking about the safety of their own bridges.

The deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge crash and collapse in Maryland on Tuesday highlights the fact that Florida, a low-lying peninsula with 1,350 miles of coastline, has lots of bridges. But just how safe are the state's bridges?

How many bridges are in the state of Florida, and how many are structurally deficient?

Florida had 12,881 bridges as of 2023, according to American Road & Transportation Builders Association data, and 449 of them (or 3.5%) were considered structurally deficient. That phrase means one of four key elements of a bridge ― the deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert ― is considered poor or worse. Just eight states had a lower percentage of structurally deficient spans. West Virginia was highest, with 20% of bridges structurally deficient.

How old are Florida's bridges?

According to a 2022 Florida Department of Transportation annual report, more than half of Florida's bridges have been constructed since 1980. About 1 in 8, however, was built prior to 1980, with 270 built in the 1930s or earlier. Where bridges previously had been built to last approximately 50 years, now engineers are aiming for 100 functional years.

How often are bridges in Florida inspected?

Bridges are inspected at least once every two years, per Florida Statutes.

The Main Street Bridge was constructed in 1959 in Daytona Beach and is now the oldest among the city's Halifax River spans.
The Main Street Bridge was constructed in 1959 in Daytona Beach and is now the oldest among the city's Halifax River spans.

How have bridges in Central Florida, and specifically Volusia and Flagler counties, been scored?

FDOT's District Five office in DeLand, which covers nine counties in Central Florida, has 13 structurally deficient bridges, the ARTBA data shows. That number is well below the state average, 64, for its seven districts, as 449 structurally deficient bridges were identified across the state.

According to FDOT's bridge inventory as of the first quarter of 2024, five structurally deficient bridges were in Volusia County: The Main Street Bridge over the Halifax River in Daytona Beach, U.S. 1 northbound over Turnbull Creek in New Smyrna Beach; Fifth Street over Yacht Club Cut in New Smyrna Beach; Old Daytona Road over Little Haw Creek near DeLand; Lake Harney Road over Underhill Slough in rural southern Volusia County.

Two were in Flagler County: Palm Harbor Parkway over Crandal Waterway and Rymfire Drive over Rippling Waterway, both in Palm Coast.

The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys is part of a stretch of bridges along U.S. 1 that lead to Key West, the southernmost point in the continental United States.
The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys is part of a stretch of bridges along U.S. 1 that lead to Key West, the southernmost point in the continental United States.

What's the longest bridge in Florida?

The Seven Mile Bridge links Florida's Middle Keys with the Lower Keys, allowing vehicular access on U.S. 1 to Key West. It's actually two bridges: One for vehicles completed in 1982 and one for bicycles and pedestrians that was originally built for the Florida East Coast Railway. That one opened in 1912. And the bridge is seven miles long if you round up. It's actually 6.79 miles.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Baltimore tragedy: How safe are bridges in Florida, Volusia-Flagler?