Building and Maintaining SD Bridges

bUILDINg AND MAINTAININg SoUTh DAkoTA’S bRIDgES To CoNNECT PEoPLE AND bUSINESSES

STEPHEN DUPONT

It’s big, it’s beautiful and it’s a bit wild. It’s South Dakota, a state with a population of 885,000 that feels like one big, small town. Connecting one end of the state to the next, there are 5,880 bridges of which 17.7% have been identified as structurally deficient, according to the National Bridge Inventory report published by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

To vanessa victor, the report comes as no surprise. victor is an engineer specializing in bridges with Fargobased engineering firm Ulteig, who calls Watertown, SD, her home.

“We have a lot of bridges that were built more than 70 years ago and they’ve aged over time,” said victor. “We also have an expansive state with a relatively small population. So, when you look at traditional funding for new bridges and bridge repair, combined with the amount of traffic that these bridges get, there’s a bit of a gap.”

As an engineering consultant specializing in bridges, victor has spent the majority of her career helping municipalities, counties and states throughout the Midwest understand how to design bridges and how to obtain the maximum life out of bridges, considering tight budgets to maintain them.

SoUTH DAkoTA STEPS UP wITH BRIDgE FUNDINg

“In 2015, the South Dakota legislature passed a new program for funding local bridges called the BIG program. Every year, counties throughout the state compete against each other to obtain funding for their bridge projects based on a $15 million pool of funding,” said victor.

“It’s a fairly competitive program,” victor added. “To participate, South Dakota counties must create a fiveyear plan for the bridges within their jurisdiction and institute a wheel tax. If a county’s residents vote against a wheel tax (based on the number of axels and the weight of the vehicles crossing a particular bridge in any given year), a county will not be eligible to participate in the program.”

The program also factors in other important variables, such as the age and deterioration of a bridge, and the travel inconvenience if the bridge had not been built in the first place.

“The most important element of this program is that it guarantees a flow of funds dedicated to bridge repairs in local counties,” said victor. “While many, including myself, wish the state legislature would dedicate more funds for bridge repairs in South Dakota, the program is a good start toward addressing the state’s problem bridges. And, it does not rely upon additional funds from the federal government.”

FEDERAL INFLUx oF FUNDINg

Citing a need to help states keep up with replacing and maintaining structurally deficient bridges, the federal government granted South Dakota $34 million in 2020 and $28 million in 2021. Additional funds may be awarded to the state with the passage of a $1+ trillion infrastructure bill later this year.

“It was a godsend to the state,” said victor. “The majority of these funds are being allocated for local bridges. With these funds, counties do not have to institute a wheel tax, which allows for more eligible bridges. Counties must submit an estimate to build, replace or maintain a bridge and the state will administer federal funds to pay for 18% of the construction costs. The program also includes the removal of bridges that are no longer needed.”

According to victor, the application deadline for the federal funding has already passed for the year. But, all municipalities and counties should take a close look at their highest priority bridge projects and prepare estimates for future federal funding.

INFRASTRUCTURE BILL: DoUBLINg DowN oN MoRE BRIDgE FUNDINg

With the infrastructure bill currently being debated in Congress, South Dakota and other states will have the potential to inject even more funds into replacing and repairing their bridges.

“While we don’t know the exact amount that may come to South Dakota for bridges,” said victor, “those additional funds could really help us improve our local bridges, which are in much poorer condition

Crews work on a bridge replacement project in Union County, SD. Ulteig performed a hydrologic/hydraulic analysis of the site, prepared the construction drawings and bidding documents, and performed the construction engineering.

than the bridges on our state highway system.”

However, while the additional funding would be very welcome in South Dakota, it comes with its own set of complexities – namely, bodies and material to get the work done. At the heart of the additional funding is the intention of getting more people back to work, in light of the economic consequences of the pandemic.

“All states will get money for bridges,” said victor. “That means neighboring states, too, such as Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming, which will all be vying for bridge contractors to complete their work. If the infrastructure bill funds need to be spent by a certain date, this will put even more pressure on states to find contractors to get their work done. In South Dakota, we only have six local bridge contractors and the bridge contractors in other nearby states would likely be tapped out as they focus on projects closer to home.”

With all of this competition for bridge contractors, it’s likely the state as well as local counties and municipalities will need to become more creative and flexible to get their attention in a low-bid environment. “The state may need to bundle several bridges together into one project to attract bids from regional bridge contractors who may also be submitting bids for bridge projects in other states,” said victor.

“On the other hand, bridge contractors are facing a dilemma, too – finding enough qualified workers to do the work,” victor added. “The construction trades in the Upper Midwest, as well as in many other parts of the country, are facing a shortage of workers.”

PREPARE FoR MoRE FUNDINg

To prepare for an additional influx of infrastructure spending, victor recommends that South Dakota municipality, county and state officials take the following action now:

1. get your Priorities Straight – Because federal funding may come with spending deadlines, it’s important now for municipalities and counties to line up their projects and get them shovel ready. The recent rounds of additional federal funding were not expected. Having a transportation plan with associated cost estimates will help the process immensely. Additionally, it will aid in knowing if there are structures in neighboring counties that could be constructed at the same time to entice contractors to mobilize to the region.

“If there’s a project or two that must get done,” said victor, “do the work now in anticipation that funding is coming, and then be ready to submit your applications. The trend for funding is that it will be available for your project, so it’s really about putting your project in the spotlight to be constructed.”

2. Take Advantage of Low-Hanging Fruit – victor advises her clients to prioritize their projects, but within that, don’t overlook low-hanging fruit opportunities to check some projects off the list.

“For example, I would take advantage of South Dakota’s bridge removal program. If you’ve identified a bridge that’s not needed anymore, use the funding to remove it, which will, in turn save your county and the state ongoing maintenance and inspection costs. It’s like a ‘two-fer.’”

3. keep it Simple – With the potential for more funding, victor strongly recommends putting functionality over design aesthetics.

“Knowing the strain this will put on our local bridge contractors, I’d recommend designing and engineering bridges that are economical, efficient and get the job done. As federal funding pours into other states, it may be difficult to obtain bridge contractors, so now is the time to focus on simplicity and functionality.” ■

ulteig’s Bridge team serves clients in all 50 states and Canada from 13 offices. The team designs bridges and structures for motorized vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, trains, and to enhance water flow and systems. In addition, the ulteig Bridge team conducts bridge inspections and advises federal, state/provincial, county and municipal bodies about bridge maintenance, aging, and replacement. Visit the ulteig.com website to learn more about their bridges and structures capabilities.