Only eight bridges, or 10 percent of the 84 that the county maintains, are considered structurally deficient following an inspection from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Skip Wilson, a MoDOT bridge inspection engineer, praised officials Monday while reviewing his report with the county commission. According to the report, 37 bridges have been built since 2000, which represents 44 percent of all bridges in the county. The county also has nine bridges more than 50 years old. Wilson said both figures illustrate the county has made progress in maintaining and identifying bridges in need of an upgrade. County-maintained bridges are inspected every two years. The average county rate for structurally deficient bridges in the 13-county Northeast District is 17 percent. "You guys are very good compared to some other counties," Wilson said. "Some of my counties are upward to 30 to 32 percent with twice as many bridges. You guys are fortunate with the condition you are in. "It's quite a success story with the amount of funding we have today." The bridge in the poorest condition in the county continues to be one on North Rock Church Road that spans Big Creek. Wilson recommended taking steps to protect the intermediate pier from scouring on the 170-foot structure built in 1910. The other seven bridges on the deficient list include: Morsey Road, Berheimer Road, Godt Road, Canelos Farm Road, Bluff Road, Schomberg Road and Trembley Road. The list is the same from the last inspection conducted in 2008. While examining a bridge, Wilson checks the deck, the superstructure and the substructure for signs of detonation and cracking. He also inspects the roadway approach, bridge railing and water channel protection. The Berheimer Bridge, built in 1902, will be the lone one to see immediate improvements. The commissioners have budgeted money to build a new bridge this year. A bridge on Powerline Road is slated to be replaced in 2011. No other projects related to bridges have been scheduled, according to road supervisor Gary Ruether. Complicating matters for officials, since the number of deficient bridges is low, fewer federal funds are appropriated to the county for improvements. Currently, the only bridges eligible for federal funds are on North Rock Church Road and Canelos Farm Road. In looking ahead to future bridge replacements or improvements, Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said the commissioners will have to factor in the road count and cost. "It's a very good report compared to other counties," he said. "The previous commissioners had the foresight to maintain the bridges." One bridge that wasn't on the list, but had concerns raised by Wilson was the Boone Monument Road bridge near Highway D outside of Marthasville. Though he noted the bridge is sufficient for at least another 10 years without any work being done, Wilson suggested the county sand-blast the rust off the bridge and repaint the structure similar to the project completed on the Missouri River bridge. "It gets worse every time I inspect it," he said. "It's a heavily traveled road. But don't let me alarm you to think it's ready to fall down, because it's not." The commissioners said they may try to allocate money in next year's budget for improvements. Boone Monument Road is expected to see an increase in traffic once the Tuque Creek bridge is replaced and Highway 47 is closed for a three-month period in 2011. Wilson said the daily road count is up to 750 vehicles. "I think it's the most traveled road in the county," Kluesner said. Two other bridges on Westwoods Road were mentioned as to needing some work done in the future. Since both are not 20 feet long, they would not be eligible to receive federal funding. Wilson also complimented the county's road department for its recent work in building three bridges on Dry Fork Road and one on County Branch. A big chunk of the funds used to build all four was received from a $182,508 FEMA grant that required a 25 percent county match. "Those bridges turned out really nice," Wilson said. "You really need to be proud of those. I'm sure they will fill a need on Dry Fork Road. That will make a nice roadway down there."