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Georgia named No. 1 state for bridge quality
The view of the Talmadge bridge from River St. in Savannah. (Credit: Joy Walstrum)
As Georgia’s booming population and economy increase transportation across the state, the government’s recent investment in infrastructure has done the work to bear the weight.
A new report from ConsumerAffairs found Georgia is the top state in the country for its quality of bridges. Seventy-five percent of Georgia’s bridges — the highest percentage in the nation — are in “good” condition. That also surpasses the national average by about 30%.
These findings mark a major turning point for the Peach State, considering its previous years of infrastructure issues.
In 2009, only 51% of Georgia’s bridges could be classified as being in “good” condition, and in 2021, nearly half of Georgia’s local and state-managed bridges were near or past their estimated life span.
The state owes much of this improvement to increased infrastructure spending, which has increased the number of bridges in Georgia to 15,069 in 2024 from 14,710 in 2009 .
And it doesn’t look like Georgia’s investment in infrastructure will slow anytime soon. This year, an additional $1.5 billion will go toward infrastructure in the state, Gov. Brian Kemp told ConsumerAffairs.
“From our sprawling freight infrastructure and efficient airports to our growing network of reliable roads, bridges and highways, Georgia’s infrastructure stands second to none in the country,” Kemp said.
You can reach Nava Rawls at [email protected] or on X @navarawls.
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