Letters to the Editor
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‘New York’s Collapsible Bridges’
Diana Furchtgott-Roth’s “New York’s Collapsible Bridges” attempted to meaningfully assert that 33 bridges in Manhattan are “structurally deficient” without any explanation of what the classification means [Oped, “New York’s Collapsible Bridges,” August 24, 2007]. New York City’s bridges are safe and in their best condition in generations.
“Structural deficiency” is an engineering term-of-art that indicates a defect requiring corrective action. It covers a wide range of conditions and does not reflect the fundamental integrity of a structure.
Any city bridge deemed unsafe would be shut to the public.
During the past decade, bridges in the lowest — “poor” — of New York State’s four-tiered bridge rankings have declined to three from 40, and we aim to close that category out entirely in the next several years.
Bridges rated “good” or “very good” increased by 64% over the same period.
Despite these improvements, the city has increased its vigilance.
The bridge inspection system we use is more thorough than that practiced in most states, and I have recently ordered even more frequent inspections for bridge components slated for replacement or repair, as well as a review of technology options to further enhance our bridge monitoring capacity. Turning the conditions on hundreds of bridges around does not come cheaply.
During the Bloomberg administration, the city has invested about $3 billion in bridge capital reconstruction projects.
Last year, we spent more than $600 million on bridge maintenance. We seek new resources to accelerate further the bridge program.
One of the goals of Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal for congestion pricing is to create a revenue stream that can bring the city’s entire transportation infrastructure into good repair.
JANETTE SADIK-KHAN
Commissioner
New York City Department of Transportation
New York, N.Y.
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