United States Bridge Failures, 1951–1988

Information drawn from national engineering magazines, a nationally distributed newspaper, and a statewide newspaper in Kentucky is presented for 114 bridge failures in the continental U.S. Failures during the construction stage and bridges that were closed in order to avoid failure were not considered. Of the 35 bridge failures reported in the Kentucky newspaper, only one was reported nationally. The study of this literature indicates that the principal source of bridge failures in the United States involves ships, trains, trucks, and cars colliding with the structures. In Kentucky, trucks exceeding the posted weight limit appear to be the major cause. Due to the scattered nature of the information, the formationn of a new division of the Federal Highway Administration or the National Transportation and Safety Board should be considered, whose mission would be to gather data and identify potential deficiencies in bridge design and construction.