Sixteen bridges within 10 miles of Geneva are rated "structurally deficient," according to a Transportation for America report.

The good news is that none of them are in Geneva, Batavia or St. Charles city limits and none are major traffic thoroughfares across the Fox River.

The bad news is that there is a deficient bridge as close as Wenmoth Road, which crosses Mill Creek, and another at Joliet and Wilson Streets in DuPage County, a 1933-vintage bridge crossing Kress Creek that handles 11,500 vehicles a day.

Other deficient bridges you've probably crossed several times include Main Street in Winfield and on Illinois Route 56.

The report also indicates the relative health of bridges we cross every day in Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles. Patch will follow up with a second article regarding those bridges.

The bridge-safety issue was brought to light during President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address. Obama called for a "Fix It First" program to address crumbling infrastructure he says must be fixed now to attract jobs to the United States.

Attached to this article is an interactive map, where you can punch in an address and get a map of showing bridges in our area, with the structurally deficient bridges noted in red. 

Illinois ranks 35th of the 50 states, with 8.5 percent of its bridges ranked structurally deficient.

National attention to the issue of bridge safety was ignited in  2007 after the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota.

The report also cites what it calls a "transit funding crisis" that will become more acute over time. Of the nation's 600,000 bridges, 383,060 will be more than 50 years old by 2030, the report said.

2 Bridges Nearby That Are Structurally Deficient

WENMOTH RD

• Crosses MILL CREEK
• in Kane County

Structurally deficient 

• Built 1977
• National bridge ID 000045309907718 
• 4,500 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: 2
• Superstructure: 2
• Substructure: 7

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: April-2009

JOLIET AND WILSON

• Crosses KRESS CREEK
• in DuPage County

Structurally deficient 

• Built 1933
• National bridge ID 000022309916705 
• 11,500 cars per day (avg.) 

Ratings 

• Deck: N
• Superstructure: N
• Substructure: N

Inspections 

• Inspection frequency: 24 months
• Last inspection: October-2000

Additional Reading

• The President proposes a plan to “Fix It First” — how will Congress respond?