| West Virginia's highways and bridges are among the worst in the nation, even according to state officials.
A new study by a group by Transportation for America ranks West Virginia's bridges as the eighth worst in the nation.
The report says the Federal Highway Administration says that nearly 70,000 bridges nationwide are classified as structurally deficient.
The report says one out of every six bridges in West Virginia are likely to be deteriorating "to some degree," and 16.7 percent of bridges in the state are rated "structurally deficient," according to the government's own standards.
In the USA, 11.5 percent of bridges are rated structurally deficient.
Executive Director of West Virginia Citizen Action Group Gary Zuckett said, "Allowing roads and bridges to slip into disrepair ultimately costs state and local governments billions more in replacement costs than the cost of regular, timely repair."
"Deferring maintenance of bridges and highways can cost three times as much as preventative repairs," Zuckett said.
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