Efforts Under Way To Fix Bridges

HARTFORD (AP) — The number of bridges maintained by the Connecticut Department of Transportation that are rated in poor condition has grown over the past decade as they age.

Records reviewed by The Associated Press show that out of the nearly 4,000 road bridges, 190 were deemed in poor condition in 2000. That figure grew to 317 by 2010.

“We do in fact have a decreasing condition of bridges,” said Thomas Harley, the DOT’s chief engineer. Because the state has not dedicated the necessary cash needed to keep up with regular maintenance, Harley said the list of needed repairs has grown.

In November, Commissioner James Redeker appeared at Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s monthly commissioners meeting and said the bridges are the agency’s “biggest challenge,” pointing to how the number of outstanding problems to fix had grown from 531 just 11 years ago to about 2,000 today.

“It’s just the aging infrastructure, particularly in New England. It’s a major challenge and we’re addressing it,” he said. “But the problem continues. So, this is going to be a major focus of how we work and we invest our resources, because we can’t wait.”

An overall rating is given to each bridge maintained by the state. If that rating is 4 or less, it is called poor, which does not necessarily mean that it is unsafe. That overall rating is based on engineering judgment after considering the condition of the surface, the steel or concrete supports, and the substructure — typically a large concrete structure at the ends of the bridge.

Malloy, who is approaching his first year in office, blames the growth in the number of poor bridges and the maintenance needs on past administrations he believes scrimped.

“That’s quite clearly what happened,” he said. “Simply put, not enough money went into transportation, really for the last 15 years, and I hope to attack that issue very aggressively in the coming years.”

Malloy has focused more money — cash instead of borrowed funds — on small repairs and improved maintenance of the state’s bridges as part of the DOT’s preservation program, which focuses on both bridges and pavement repairs. Some of the work, such as bridge joint repairs and crack sealing, are anticipated to last only three to ten years but are needed to make sure those roads and bridges last their full anticipated life spans, said Harley.

“It allows me to do more basic-level maintenance stuff,” said Harley, who likens the work to getting regular oil changes for a car, extending its life.

“It’s always better if we’ve been changing the oil all the way along,” Harley said.