6/12/08-In an effort to quickly repair the most neglected bridges in Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick has filed legislation to speed up repair and replacement work on 250 to 300 bridges.
The governor’s repair plan calls for borrowing $3 billion to fix “structurally deficient” bridges during the next eight years. State figures show there now are 543 structurally deficient bridges. That number grows each year, The Boston Globe reported.
The state’s Highway Department and municipalities own nearly 90 percent of bridges in the state. Other state agencies own the rest.
Supporters say the repair plan will save $1.5 billion in construction costs by getting work done sooner. They cite escalating costs for construction.
Others say the plan is a necessity to improve public safety. It also would create thousands of construction jobs, they say.
The work would be financed with $1.1 billion in expected future federal transportation funds and $1.9 billion in state fuel tax revenue.
Patrick said in a written statement that his plan would reduce by about 15 percent the number of structurally deficient spans during the next eight years. Without the plan, he said the number of such bridges would increase by 30 percent during that time.