New Report Calls Into Question Safety, Soundness Of Bridges In New York City Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - We're accustomed to the near-constant maintenance work on New York City's major bridges.
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Despite all that maintenance, a report calls into question their safety and utility.
Transportation For America has released a report reviewing the state of our nation's bridges, and its findings about the bridges in our area are sure to raise eyebrows.
The report classifies the Brooklyn Bridge as "structurally deficient," meaning it requires more frequent monitoring, critical maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement. Some 106,392 cars cross the bridge per day, according to the report. The report says the Triboro Bridge is also "structurally deficient."
The Manhattan Bridge is dubbed "functionally obsolete," meaning that while it is not run down, it's not the best plan for the 48,416 cars that cross it a day, on average. The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, which takes 120,284 cars a day on average, is also dubbed "functionally obsolete." The same designation is slapped on the George Washington Bridge, which handles some 285,620 cars per day.
All in all in the New York metropolitan area, 9.8 percent of the bridges are considered deficient.
Department of Transportation spokesman Seth Solomonow was critical of the report and the agency released a statement saying "all of New York City's 787 bridges are in a state of good repair or have rehabilitation projects underway or planned."
The statement goes on to make mention of a $508 million project to "rehabilitate the approach ramps to the Brooklyn Bridge."
"This is the result of this administration's unprecedented $5 billion in investment in our bridges' state of good repair, and it is vital to extend federal support for New York's -- and our nation's -- bridges and infrastructure," the statement read.
Transportation For America is a group which describes itself as "a broad coalition of housing, business, environmental, public health, transportation, equitable development and other organizations."
"The nation needs a healthy transportation system that is ready for the rapidly changing economy of the 21st Century," says a statement on their website. "Our national transportation policy has barely changed since the 1950s, when gas was 20 cents a gallon and President Eisenhower launched the interstate highway system."
The group seeks "A healthy transportation system that is ready for the rapidly changing economy of the 21st Century."
Should the bridges be replaced? Should there be a major infrastructure project of that sort in our area? Sound off in our comments section below.
