One year after the deadly collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis, little has been done to repair or replace 1,400 structurally deficient or obsolete bridges in Colorado.    In fact, say officials, despite a $1.4 billion backlog of such work and the recommendation of a blue-ribbon panel that spending be sharply increased, money for bridge repair and replacement will fall in fiscal 2009.    Money for the major rehabilitation or replacement of bridges will drop $7 million in 2009, from $25.6 million in 2008 to $18.3 million, mostly because of declining federal aid, said Mark Leonard, bridge engineer for the Colorado Department of Transportation.    “We are in a reactive position now,” he said this week.    The situation is better in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, in part because the two entities own far fewer bridges and in part because they have money for bridge repair and replacement the state does not have, local officials say.    There is a confusing array of statistics on bridges and their state of repair. Leonard and local officials say the best way to get a handle on the situation is to examine bridges that score fewer than 50 points on a 0-to-100 sufficiency rating used nationwide. The ratings come from inspections of every major bridge in Colorado every two years.    State and local experts say even a poor rating does not mean a bridge poses an immediate danger to motorists. Rather, a low rating is a red flag that a bridge needs structural repairs or that it is coming to the end of its life expectancy. Bridges deemed to be an immediate danger, say local and state officials, are immediately closed for repair or replacement.    Using the 0-to-100 criteria, the state of Colorado owns 125 bridges that are rated poor by inspectors, including 12 in El Paso County, all either on Interstate 25 or U.S. Highway 24.    El Paso County has seven bridges rated poor, and Colorado Springs has five.    All five bridges in the city are being replaced or will be in the next year or two using money from a one-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2004 for transportation projects.    El Paso County is using those Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority dollars on road projects but will replace three of its seven poor-rated bridges in the next couple years by using revenue from its dedicated road and bridge fund to match federal grants.    Leonard said there are 8,046 major bridges — defined as those spanning more than 20 feet — in Colorado owned by various entities. Of those, 1,400 have been rated either structurally deficient or obsolete by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.    Leonard said CDOT estimated it needs $100 million to $200 million a year to tackle the backlog of deficient or obsolete bridges.    A panel of residents and experts appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter submitted a report in January urging $150 million a year be spent for 20 years to rehabilitate or replace the state’s aging bridges, said Mark Mehalko, a member of the panel.    Lawmakers in the last session wrangled about how to pay such a tab and ultimately rejected a variety of ideas, including higher car registration fees and increases in sales and gas taxes.    Ritter has reconvened the panel this year, and it is examining various proposals to fund bridge work, including public-private partnerships, various tax increases, a possible revenue-raising ballot question for voters and a proposal by one Republican lawmaker to divert some revenues raised by mineral taxes to transportation.    Mehalko said he’s hopeful those discussions, along with increased public education about the state of Colorado’s bridges, will yield a better result than what came out of the Capitol during the last session.    “I’m encouraged,” he said. “I don’t think we were just quite ready.”    In the meantime, bridge experts such as Leonard and Robin Kidder roadway manager for Colorado Springs, said they are spending maintenance money on preventive work and early repairs that will keep a bridge from ending up on the poor list.    They also say engineers are designing bridges that require less maintenance and have longer useful lives. Contact the writer: 636-0197 or bill.mckeown@gazette.comPOOR-RATED BRIDGES IN EL PASO COUNTYSTATE-OWNED• Interstate 25, southbound, Monument Creek• I-25, Buss Route• I-25 southbound, Colorado Avenue, Spruce Street• I-25 northbound, Colorado Avenue, Spruce Street• I-25, Rockrimmon Boulevard• I-25, northbound, Monument Creek• I-25, Monument Creek branch• I-25, draw, mile 122.8• I-25, draw, mile 122.5• U.S. Highway 24, draw, milemarker 322• U.S. 24, Fountain Creek• U.S. 24, Black Squirrel CreekCOUNTY-OWNED• Mulberry Road north of Hanisch Road• Berridge Road, north of Funk Road• Golden Lane, south of Colorado Avenue• West Ramah Road, east of Lemesany Road• Commerce Road, northwest of Blasingame Road• Judge Orr Road, east of Ellicott Highway• Oil Well Road, north of Funk RoadCITY-OWNED• Cimarron Street• Vincent Drive over Cottonwood Creek• Hancock Avenue over Templeton Gap floodway• 15th Street over Fountain Creek• Evans Avenue, Cheyenne Canyon

Fred Funk and Peter Jacobsen on Thursday on the sixth green during the first round of the 2008 U.S. Senior Open at the Broadmoor. Funk finished the day on top by shooting a 5-under 65. Photo by (JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE)