DENVER, CO (Catholic Online) - Last month, a new, wider bridge replaced the Eagle River Bridge to fix up an estimated 160 bridges in Colorado. The bridges that are targeted are "structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, and rate 'poor,'" according to inspectors. Some of the bridges were built in the 1920's and can't handle today's car and truck traffic.

Some of the worst bridges are located in southeast Colorado and built with nothing but timber. Due to the high traffic volume, Denver also has some of the most worn out bridges.

"Some of these bridges are just at the end of their useful life," said Tim Harris, chief engineer of the Colorado Department of Transportation as well as the head of the Colorado Bridge Enterprise. "When you drive over some of them, it's kind of scary."

The Colorado Bridge Enterprise was founded in 2009 as part of the legislation for FASTER or the Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery. The organization operates as a government-owned business inside CDOT and plans to repair and/or replace those 160 bridges.

So far, 49 bridges have been replaced, including the Eagle River Bridge, which was built in 1933.

"Look how much we depend on highways," Steve Parker, chairman of the Bridge Enterprise Board. "You can have the nicest, widest highway in the world, but if a bridge is inadequate, you are in a lot of trouble."

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