Tri-Cities' Bridges in Good Condition Overall

The bridges in Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles all earn passing grades, according to a report by Transportation for America.

And that's an important footnote when examining the results of the report.

Whenever we analyze data, there's a human tendency as well as a journalistic tendency to focus on what's wrong and what needs to be fixed. In fact, that's part of the purpose of the report: to lay out an argument for government investment in infrastructure, as mentioned in President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address.

The Website asks people to sign up and tell Congress to start spending.

"America's transportation system is broken. Bridges are crumbling, commute times are longer than ever, and too few people have access to good options. It's past time to fix it," the website says.

But for the Tri-Cities, at least, the news isn't all bad. If you look at the screen shot of the interactive map provided by Transportation for America, you'll see, as the Beatles once said, a sea of green.

The green bridges indicate those that are in good condition. The red bridges indicate those that are "structurally deficient" because they received a rating of 4 or lower on one or more of three components: deck, superstructure and substructure.

Below are the ratings for the bridges in the Tri-Cities. The lowest score went to the bridge on Route 31 over Ferson Creek in St. Charles, which scored 5 across the board. The best-rated bridge was the Prairie Street Bridge, also in St. Charles, which scored three 9s.

Related:

• Feb. 14, 2013: The president proposes a plan to “Fix It First” — how will Congress respond?
• Feb. 18, 2013, Part 1: 13 St. Charles-Area Bridges Rated 'Structurally Deficient'

ST. CHARLES

Prairie Street

• Crosses Fox River
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1993
• National bridge ID 000045685536649 
• 509 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 9
• Superstructure: 9
• Substructure: 9

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 48 months
• Last inspection: May-2006

Illinois Street

• Crosses Fox River
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1958
• National bridge ID 000045685126719 
• 1,900 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 7
• Superstructure: 7
• Substructure: 6

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: December-2007

Route 64

• Crosses Fox River
• in Kane County

Functionally obsolete 

• Built 1997
• National bridge ID 000045201832261 
• 36,100 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 8
• Superstructure: 8
• Substructure: 7

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: May-2009

2nd Avenue

• Crosses Union Pacific Railroad
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1986
• National bridge ID 000045685420443 
• 209 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 7
• Superstructure: 7
• Substructure: 7

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 48 months
• Last inspection: December-200

3rd Avenue

• Crosses Union Pacific Railroad
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1987
• National bridge ID 000045685320445 
• 209 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 7
• Superstructure: 7
• Substructure: 8

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 48 months
• Last inspection: December-2007

Route 31

• Crosses Ferson Creek
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1916
• National bridge ID 000045001910316 
• 13,800 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 5
• Superstructure: 5
• Substructure: 5

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: June-2009

GENEVA

Route 38

• Crosses Fox River
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1992
• National bridge ID 000045201430099 
• 17,900 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 7
• Superstructure: 7
• Substructure: 7

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 36 months
• Last inspection: October-2009

Route 25

• Crosses Union Pacific Railroad
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1965
• National bridge ID 000045004610358 
• 10,000 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 8
• Superstructure: 6
• Substructure: 7

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: June-2008

BATAVIA

Fabyan Parkway

• Crosses Fox River
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1974
• National bridge ID 000045309701998 
• 30,500 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 7
• Superstructure: 7
• Substructure: 7

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: April-2008

Wilson Street

• Crosses Fox River
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 2007
• National bridge ID 000045605133916 
• 18,600 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 8
• Superstructure: 8
• Substructure: 8

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: September-2009

Route 31

• Crosses Mill Creek
• in Kane County

Good condition 

• Built 1935
• National bridge ID 000045002010317 
• 12,600 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 9
• Superstructure: 9
• Substructure: 6

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: January-2009

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