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6% of Colorado bridges structurally deficient

Posted at 6:13 PM, Feb 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-22 20:13:13-05

For 20 years, David Stark has worked at an auto shop that sits right across from Harlan Street and Interstate 70.  He says he doesn't have to drive the nearby overpass to know it's a problem.

“Last year piece of the hill just fell away because the asphalt falls apart up there, it's just getting old," said Stark.

The overpass near where Stark works was built in 1967,  according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. It’s number seven on the list of Colorado’s most traveled, structurally-deficient bridges.

“You can look at it and see that its old, the concrete is crumbling and all,” Stark said.

The list also included 24 other bridges considered to be in poor condition, with I-70 near Havana street topping the list.

We took the list to Colorado Department of Transportation to see if any of those bridges were repaired, and CDOT says at least four on the list were fixed.

"There was realization that we needed to take care of structures thought out the state," said CDOT spokesperson Bob Wilson.

CDOT says it has been working on bridges that aren’t just classified as structurally deficient, but are those that labeled as functionally absolute. Since 2010, CDOT has identified 192 bridges in need of repair. So far, 120 have been fixed. Stark is hoping the Harlan and the I-70 overpass is next on CDOT’s list.

"The overpass is just an eye sore,” said Stark.

See the full report.

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