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Residents question safety of BX bridges

Residents question how safe Bronx bridges are when the state Department of Transportation made that information available to the public. The Department has a new website listing information about Bronx

News 12 Staff

Aug 18, 2007, 6:13 PM

Updated 6,318 days ago

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Residents question how safe Bronx bridges are when the state Department of Transportation made that information available to the public.
The Department has a new website listing information about Bronx and state bridges, and after learning of the findings, residents are concerned.
The City Island Bridge, which is over 100 years old, has been classified as ?structurally deficient? by the Department of Transportation- the same category as a recently collapsed bridge in Minnesota.
The Department of Transportation says that this classification does not immediately imply that the bridge is unsafe or about to collapse. However, bridges in the ?structurally deficient? category are recorded as having repeated flooding and problems with significant load carrying elements.
The Department of Transportation is responsible for making sure bridges are inspected, but city politicians have taken matters into their own hands on Saturday. They are calling for a new stress detection technology that will allow yearly inspections.
The mayor announced plans for a new City Island Bridge in 2003, but construction has yet to begin.