What is a Structural Deficiency?

There are numerous bridges throughout Pennsylvania that have been cited as being “structurally deficient” by PennDOT. While this term sounds awful, it does not necessarily mean that the bridge is doomed to fail in the immediate future. It is a technical term coined by engineers so that they know what is going on with the bridge.

In the event that a bridge has been marked as “structurally deficient” on a report, the bridge does not automatically or even necessarily rise to the status of hazardous. If the bridge is really hazardous, the engineer making the report will have a special comment for the condition, quite possibly marking it as “hazardous.” If the structural deficiency does not mark the bridge hazardous or unsafe or bad in general, the structural deficiency means that there is “something that does not present imminent danger to life, limb, or property but must be repaired before it becomes worse.”

To determine the condition of a bridge, a road, or another structure, the engineers in charge of the inspection will use a combination of physical examination and math to determine its condition. All of the structural elements are tested and have known strength based on their cross section. Their strength is also affected by the physical properties of the materials used to create them. The engineers will then look to see how much of the original structure is left and recalculate strength from there.

When structural deficiency is used by a civil engineer in a professional context, it is not a cause for panic or hysteria over the condition of the bridge. When it comes to designating a bridge or other structure’s condition, “hazardous” is the worst official designation.

Contact a Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney

If you have been injured by a hazardous or unsafe bridge or other structure, contact the Philadelphia personal injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 215-238-1130.