Following the collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis into the Mississippi River, 166 bridges in New York City have been labeled as �structurally deficient�. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of those bridges, receiving a �sufficiency rating� of zero on a scale of 1-to-100 by the US Department of Transportation. Though the Minneapolis bridge was in the same �structurally deficient� category as the Brooklyn Bridge, it was in far better condition with a rating of 50. In the state of New York, there are 2,110 �structurally deficient� bridges.

The Brooklyn Bridge has rusting steel joints and deteriorating brick and mortar on its ramps. However, the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis wasn�t enough of a wake-up call for the state, which will not be shutting down traffic over the concerns. Charles Carrier, a spokesman for New York City’s Department of Transportation, insisted that the Brooklyn Bridge was not deemed unsafe, and thus, will not be closed. Chris Ward, Managing Director of the General Contractors Association of New York, disagreed on the city’s stance, saying; “This tragedy only highlights that a similar problem is facing New York State and City. We have underfunded our infrastructure.”

The Brooklyn Bridge has deteriorated rapidly in the last year. In November an inspection resulted in a rating of 2.9. The city emphasized that the bridge is safe to drive on, despite its new “sufficiency rating” of 0, and is promising a $725 million repair. Unfortunately, that repair will not occur anytime soon. First Deputy Commissioner Lori Ardito stated, “It is in poor condition but it is also in our reconstruction program for 2010.”

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