Podcast: Heavier truck proposals in Congress threaten county bridges

As Congress considers proposals to allow heavier semi-trucks on U.S. highways, county officials across the country should be sounding the alarm. The potential consequences for local infrastructure, particularly bridges, are staggering.

By: Matthew Muir
National Association of Counties

As Congress considers proposals to allow heavier semi-trucks on U.S. highways, county officials across the country should be sounding the alarm.

The potential consequences for local infrastructure, particularly bridges, are staggering. A recent study, The Impacts of Heavier Trucks on Local Bridges, (conducted by NACo and the National Association of County Engineers, with the input of numerous county highway officials), underscores the risks to infrastructure across the country should Congress green light heavier trucks. The upcoming highway reauthorization process promises to bring this issue to a head, and the stakes could not be higher for county officials.

At the heart of this debate is a proposal to increase the maximum allowable truck weight to 91,000 pounds. The current limit is 80,000 pounds.

Congress has already taken steps toward making this change a reality. Last year, H.R. 3372, a bill proposing a pilot project to allow 91,000-pound trucks on U.S. highways, was passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, with attempts to bring it to the House floor for a vote.

While this pilot project allows any state to increase weights for a period of up to 10 years, it is just the beginning of an unfunded federal mandate for localities as roads and bridges face costly damage due to the added weight. As trucks do not load and unload on interstates, these heavier trucks will find their way onto local roads and bridges across the country.

According to the study, which examined local bridges off the National Highway System, a staggering 72,240 bridges would be put at risk by these heavier trucks. The cost to replace those bridges is estimated to be $60.8 billion. For counties specifically, the financial burden is overwhelming. Of the total bridges at risk, 40,907 are owned by county governments. The study estimates that replacing these county-owned bridges would cost $20 billion—a monumental price tag for county governments already struggling to maintain existing infrastructure.

County budgets are tight, and asking local taxpayers to foot such an enormous bill is both unrealistic and unfair.

Counties are already overburdened with the responsibility of maintaining America’s bridges. Despite owning 36% of all bridges nationwide, counties oversee 51% of the bridges rated in poor condition. This overrepresentation underscores a critical point: Counties have struggled for years with underfunding from the federal government and growing maintenance backlogs. Now, with the potential of heavier trucks on the horizon, those challenges could quickly become insurmountable.

The data makes one thing clear: Heavier trucks would disproportionately harm county-owned infrastructure. As bridges deteriorate under the strain of increasing truck weights, local officials would be forced to make difficult choices — whether to raise taxes, cut services or simply close failing bridges.

None of these options are acceptable for the millions of Americans who rely on safe, functional roads and bridges for their daily commutes, commerce and emergency services.

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