A school bus crosses a bridge on Route 68 in Butler Township on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. The state-owned bridge was given a “poor” grade for both the deck and superstructure. Joseph Ressler/Butler Eagle

Joseph Ressler

CRANBERRY TWP — As a bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh hours before President Joe Biden spoke on the necessity of infrastructure maintenance, Butler County too faces its own share of bridges with structural issues.

Of the roughly 350 state-owned bridges and culverts in Butler County, PennDOT described 37 as being in “poor” condition, which means “deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced,” or worse.

An additional 191 bridges are rated as being in “fair” condition, meaning either the structure shows “minor deterioration” or the primary structure is sound, but shows “minor cracks and signs of deterioration.”

In fact, just 127 state-owned bridges — 37% of all state bridges in the county — are in “good” condition, which still allows for “some minor problems.”

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