Statement from Stanley Gee, NYS Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner

ALBANY, NY (01/12/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York State Comptroller's findings regarding the New York State Department of Transportation's (NYSDOT) "Management and Oversight of Structural Defects on Highway Bridges" are misleading, confusing the issue of bridge safety with timely data entry. Bridges that are open for traffic in New York are safe. Bridge safety is reviewed on a regular and ongoing basis, and bridges must meet NYSDOT's rigorous safety requirements, to stay open. Travel on bridges in need of repair or maintenance may be restricted, and all bridges that are deemed unsafe are closed.

Again, the Comptroller's Report only addresses the timeliness of data entry into a tracking system, and does not reflect bridge safety.

NYSDOT monitors the safety of more than 17,400 municipally-, locally-, or state-owned bridges in New York State, and has a thorough inspection system, the findings of which are tracked both manually and through an automated system. Through a "flagging system," NYSDOT identifies potentially unsafe structural conditions and requires the owner to take prompt, certified, corrective or protective actions to resolve the flag condition. These actions include repair, posting, or closure. The bottom line is that NYSDOT's inspection program is comprehensive to assure that structural problems with our State's aging bridges are resolved quickly.

It is unfortunate that the review of the system is based solely on its paperwork, rather than on the system's overall ability to assure bridge safety. Documented evidence of NYSDOT's bridge safety performance is submitted annually to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to Section 231.6 of the Highway Law as amended by Chapter 781 of the Laws of 1988 (The "Graber Bill"). NYSDOT, again in 2009, met all State and Federal requirements regarding the inspection of bridges. All the bridges scheduled for inspection were inspected and all the required highway bridge data was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) following its mandate and data requirements. Further, FHWA consistently gives high marks to NYSDOT in reviews of our bridge inspection system.

I want to once again assure the travelling public that if a bridge is open in New York State, it is safe for use.

###