It’s not a trivial accomplishment to be substantially better, or worse, than everyone else. Pennsylvania has achieved this distinction by having the worst bridges in the nation. “The Fix We’re In For: The State of Our Nation’s Bridges” was recently released by Transportation for America, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of 500 groups working together to change transportation policy.

PA has 26.5% of its 22,271 bridges listed as structurally deficient (meaning the the superstructure, substructure or deck was rated “poor” by inspectors). The next worst state was Oklahoma at 22%. That’s a big difference and a big problem for cash poor PA.

My buddy Bob Navitsky, PE handles the bridge maintenance for the covered wood bridges in Lancaster County, PA. He uses a common sense approach to test the bridges and keep them repaired at reasonable costs. He manages the program well.

Poor maintenance generally looks like a symptom from a financial crisis, but generally it’s a management failure. As you look for opportunities in this economy, remember that every management failure is an opportunity as well.