The state of bridges and overpasses in Southwest Florida

The Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse has many wondering what the bridges in Southwest Florida look like.

There is a 24-page long list of bridges in Southwest Florida.

Some are very small with little traffic while others accommodate thousands of drivers a day.

Included in the list from the Florida Department of Transportation are several bridges along I-75.

The busiest of which is where it crosses the Imperial River in Lee County.

An estimated 110,000 people cross it daily.

Behind that, I-75 where it goes over the Peace River in Charlotte County has 67,000 cars traveling on it daily.

Where the numbers get a little more interesting is when you look at how many are structurally deficient, which means it needs to be repaired or replaced within six years.

If they are functionally obsolete, that means they do not meet the current road design standards like maybe the lanes are too narrow.

Lee County has 76 functionally obsolete bridges compared to 24 in Charlotte County.

There are 30 functionally obsolete bridges in Collier County and four bridges that are structurally deficient.

In DeSoto County, there are 10 functionally obsolete bridges and two that are structurally deficient.

In Hendry County, there are seven functionally obsolete bridges with two that are structurally deficient.

All of the bridges and overpasses in our area have been inspected within the past two years.

The state is getting nearly $245 million over the next five years to repair or replace thousands of bridges that need it.