Some Good Bridge News

You may recall our recent report — Our Legacy of Neglect — that examined the condition of the Longfellow Bridge and the condition of our state’s assets.

MSNBC has done an enterprising bit of reporting on national bridge inspection standards and come up with some shocking results — massive numbers of bridges go uninspected for more than two years at a time (the absolute maximum recommended time between inspections).

The good news is that Massachusetts has none of these bridges, although some other states (Illinois, Arizona) look pretty shabby.

Sadly, we are still in the top 3 for structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges (at more than 50%) but we have improved by .6% in a year!

Finally, if you have immediate concerns, you can map your route to work and find out the condition of the bridges along the way.

Additional Info — The FHWA thinks the state should spend more on maintenance and bridge safety.  See the FHWA letter here.