"A roundabout in rural Wisconsin is tricked out with decorative brick, intense landscaping and a "complete street" despite there being little to no chance of pedestrians. This is happening while funds for urban improvements -- where there actually are people walking -- remain elusive."
"New York transportation authorities and the State’s incomprehensible system for marking height clearance, not the GPS, are to blame when big trucks hit bridges in and around New York State.
"A big truck, 13 foot 6 inches high, passes the MUST exit sign on I-278 in Brooklyn, NY, but has no fear, despite the low clearance sign, the road will accommodate the truck height."
"We were jolted to attention by a Road Dog radio report that New York’s Senior Senator, Charles Schumer, is demanding an investigation into big trucks hitting bridges. Schumer blamed driver misuse of GPSs for the 43 incidents last year of trucks hitting bridges on Long Island. He wants “nation-wide standards” for GPSs."
"Clearance signage has become so confusing in New York state that the DOT has now added the word “ACTUAL” to clearance signs to eliminate confusion. Most clearance signs are actually, ONE foot less than real clearance, sometimes."
"Yes, trucks hit bridges. But the problem in New York is that transportation authorities force trucks off the actual, safe truck routes onto secondary routes because the State has chosen to post clearance signs that are wrong. The posted clearance is ONE foot less than the actual clearance. It is confusing. It is dangerous."
"The 61-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge, scheduled for demolition this summer, is going to live on in Orange County.
In a new twist on reuse-reduce-recycle, the county has asked the New York State Thruway Authority for 14 of the 150 prefabricated deck panels that will be salvaged from the bridge before it is dismantled.
“We have one bridge – the Corwin Bridge - already in design to accept the panels,″ said Chris Viebrock, the county’s public works commissioner.
The bridge, which carries County Route 11 (Mount Hope Road) over the Shawangunk Kill in the Town of Mount Hope, is getting an estimated $690,000 makeover. The panels will shorten the construction timetable and shave the cost.
Viebrock, praising the Thruway for making the panels available, said he is also evaluating the feasibility of using them on three other bridges as well as two crossings on the new extension of the Heritage Trail between Goshen and Middletown."
There are 1,885 bridges that are designated as Structurally Deficient in New York State. A deficient condition rating indicates deterioration at a level that requires corrective maintenance or rehabilitation to restore the bridge to its fully functional, non-deficient condition. It does not mean that the bridge is unsafe. This map shows them along with the sufficiency rating of the bridge. Red and yellow marked bridges are in the most need of repair, while blue and green have more minor issues.
Data Source: National Bridge Inventory. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm
Local governments who encourage speeding and risky behavior behind the wheel by failing to design safe streets should be held liable for their negligence.