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Substandard bridges remain numerous in NC

PRE News & Ideas | By George Olsen
Published July 18, 2014 at 4:06 PM EDT

INTRO – AAA Carolinas says the state has over 5100 bridges considered substandard. George Olsen has more.

AAA Carolinas says the number of substandard bridges in the state remains high despite an investment of nearly $500 million in state and federal funds to replace and repair bridges last year. AAA cites state Department of Transportation estimates of needing $11 billion to bring all deficient bridges up to standard or $16 billion to replace them. The percentage of bridges in good condition in the state increased from 64 percent in 2011 to currently about 68 percent. State Department of Transportation Secretary Tony Tata says about 1000 substandard bridges have been upgraded over the past three years. AAA Carolinas CEO Dave Parsons says slight improvement in the overall picture was made last year but more resources need to be found to fund infrastructure needs. I’m George Olsen.
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ENC Regional News AAA Carolinas
George Olsen
George Olsen is a 1977 Havelock High School graduate. He received his B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1982 where he got his first taste of non-commercial radio working for their student station WUSC. After graduation he worked about five years in commercial radio before coming to work at Public Radio East where he has remained since outside of a nearly 3-year stint as jazz and operations coordinator at WUAL in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the early 1990s. On his return to eastern North Carolina he hosted classical music for Public Radio East before moving into the Morning Edition host position and now can be heard on All Things Considered. He also hosts and produces The Sound, five hours of Americana, Roots Rock and Contemporary Folk weekday evenings on PRE Public Radio East News & Ideas, and is a news and feature producer for Public Radio East.
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