Report: 1 in 9 Massachusetts bridges are not structurally sound
BOSTON - A report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center found that one in nine Massachusetts bridges - 644 in total - are not structurally sound.
The bridges are not in immediate danger of collapsing, but at least one major weight-bearing component of these bridges is in need of repair or replacement.
More than half of the bridges flagged in the report were in either Western Massachusetts or Worcester County. The nonprofit group behind the report says major improvements need to be made now.
"While every region has its hefty share of structurally deficient bridges, they're not equally distributed. The Berkshires has the highest percentage of closed bridges and those which prohibit heavy vehicles. The Greater Connecticut River Valley region has the most total bridges and it's also the most that are structurally deficient. The region northeast of Boston has relatively few bridges but the highest percentage of them are in disrepair," said Phineas Baxandall of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.
The report also found that climate change, heavy vehicles and the ages of the bridges have increased safety issues. According to the report, the average bridge in Massachusetts is 56 years old, compared to 44 years for bridges across the nation.
