Area Bridges Make Obama's 'Fix it First' List

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President Barack Obama proposed Tuesday night a "Fix It First" program to address the nation's crumbling infrastructure—like roads and bridges—in an effort to improve citizens' quality of life and bring jobs to the United States.

There are nearly 70,000 "structurally deficient" bridges throughout the United States that require "significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement," according to the Transportation for America website. 

In Illinois, 8.5 percent of the state's bridges are "structurally deficient." The state is ranked 35th worst nationally for the overall quality of its bridges, according to the Transportation for America website.

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Locally, there are a handful of bridges that are highlighted as structurally deficient on the Transportation for America website. The good news is that many of the more heavily traveled bridges that fit that criteria have been fixed or will be fixed soon, according to information gathered by Patch.com. 

Below is information on some of those bridges and culverts: 

• The bridge over the Kishwaukee River on Route 47 in Huntley. The bridge was slated to be replaced with a new culvert as part of a Route 47 reconstruction project, according to Huntley Patch. The bridge was originally built in 1936 and 15,200 cars travel over it daily. 
• The culvert over the Ratt Creek Tributary on Edgewood Road in Algonquin. As part of an Edgewood Road reconstruction project, there the box culvert over Ratt Creek Tributary was replaced as was the deck. Abutments to the structure over Ratt Creek was also repaired, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation website. The structure was originally built in 1953 and 5,700 cars travel over it daily. 
• The bridge over Flint Creek in Lake Barrington. The bridge is scheduled for replacement this year, according to the Illinois DOT. The bridge was built in 1968 and 509 cars per day travel over it. 
• The bridge over the Fox River Inlet on Edwards Road in Fox River Grove. The bridge was built in 1900 and an average of 275 card travel it per day. 
• A culvert on Jessie Drive over Crystal Creek in Lake in the Hills. The village of Lake in the Hills has received federal funding to fix the bridge, according to minutes from a LITH Village Board meeting on Aug. 7, 2012. 
• The Interstate 90 bridge that crosses the Fox River and Duncan Avenue in West Dundee. The bridge was built in 1958 and 54,800 cars travel over it each day. 
• A bridge on Route 31 in Elgin over the Metra railroad tracks. The bridge was slated for rehabilitation in 2012-2013, which included "removal and replacement of the bridge deck, along with other repairs to the structure carrying Route 31 over METRA," according to the Illinois Department of Transportation website. The bridge was built in 1952 and 29,300 cars travel it each day. 

Tell us in the comments' section: Which bridges and roads do you think NEED to be fixed in the area?