States do emergency bridge inspections

States do emergency bridge inspections    New York region officials undertook emergency surveys of bridges in their states, a familiar practice nationwide since last week's Minneapolis bridge collapse.
   In New Jersey, Gov. Jon S. Corzine said the state’s bridges are safe, but said they need as much $7 billion in repair work.
   And the Pulaski Skyway — a 75-year-old highway that soars up to 135 feet at places above the New Jersey meadowlands, and said by some to be the nation’s first superhighway — may have to be replaced.
   Corzine said a report prepared at his request found 4,200 of the 6,400 large bridges in New Jersey in good condition, 1,500 obsolete, and about 700 “deficient.” But none are considered unsafe.
   He said the state spends about $500 million annually on bridge repairs, but he estimated about $5 billion to $7 billion is needed to fix existing problems.
   In New York, Gov. Eliot Spitzer instructed the state Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority, Bridge Authority and the Metropolitan Transit Agency to undertake a thorough examination of the 49 bridges in the state with similar designs to the Interstate 35 deck truss bridge that collapsed in Minnesota, and to review the state’s inspection standards and procedures. State agencies are also inspecting any bridge that has not been inspected in the last few months.
   Spitzer said a briefing from state officials and agencies, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Wednesday, had assured him that “while the latest round of inspections show our bridges are safe, we must continue to be vigilant in future inspections and oversight.
   “We must continue to make necessary investments in our transportation infrastructure. We cannot repeat past failures like New York’s disinvestment in the 1970s or its failure to respond after the defeat of the 2000 Transportation Bond Act, which impacted long-term investments in our infrastructure,” he said.
   “This year’s enacted budget showed our strong commitment to funding critical infrastructure projects. By maximizing federal resources, we were able to increase the current five-year transportation plan by more than $900 million, bringing the total up to $18.8 billion.”
   He said by next March, the state transportation department will provide a new five-year capital plan for highways and bridges, which he said would reflect the need for additional funding.
   In Connecticut, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Sunday a $100 million state bridge repair and replacement plan to speed up high-priority bridge projects over the next two years
   But the state’s Speaker of the House James A. Amann, accused Rell of resisting the Democrats’ $150-million proposal to rehabilitate state bridges and roads. Amann said Rell over a two-year period had rejected proposals to fund maintenance and repair of bridges and roads.
   Connecticut said it has 5,354 bridges, with 411 rated poor and 12 rated “critical.”
   Rell’s office said about 10 bridges in Connecticut share the steel-arch deck truss design of the Minneapolis span. Federal officials have alerted states to immediately inspect all bridges similar to the Minneapolis bridge.