Safety of LI bridges questioned after Minn. collapse

In light of Wednesday?s deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota, many residents and officials are wondering if the bridges on Long Island are safe. AAA representatives are concerned about some of the bridges

News 12 Staff

Aug 3, 2007, 1:25 PM

Updated 6,375 days ago

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In light of Wednesday?s deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota, many residents and officials are wondering if the bridges on Long Island are safe.
AAA representatives are concerned about some of the bridges on Long Island. Currently, trucks are being kept off a span of the Robert Moses Causeway while emergency repairs are made.
Another cause of concern for AAA and motorists is the Roslyn Viaduct Bridge. That bridge is nearly 20 years older than the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota. Department of Transportation (DOT) officials say the Roslyn bridge was so deteriorated, it needed to be completely rebuilt. That project won?t be completed until 2008.
Two years ago, a panel for the DOT concluded that ?one out of every three bridges in New York and on Long Island are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.? One member of that panel said it could take up to $30 billion to repair the deteriorating bridges and roads over the next two decades.
So far, at least four people have been killed and as many as 30 others are missing in the Minnesota collapse. Divers are scouring the Mississippi River for victims who may be trapped in cars that plunged into the water.
For extended footage and interviews about the Minnesota bridge collapse, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO extra. Or click on the links below.
Additional coverage of the Minnesota bridge collapsePresident Bush comments on the Minnesota bridge collapseCNN/CNN affiliate coverage of Minnesota bridge collapseFootage of Minnesota bridge collapse - Courtesy of CNNFootage of bridge collapse aftermath