Nothing A Little Paint Won’t Fix

In my mind it can either be “seriously deteriorated” or “shabby” but not necessarily both. But the Department of Transportation seems to believe that a recent report about the condition of the Brooklyn Bridge is not such a big deal:

The city’s most recent annual report on the condition of bridges and tunnels, just out, rates the Brooklyn Bridge’s condition as a 3.15 on a scale of one to seven, with one as “potentially hazardous” and seven as “new.” A three rating is used to indicate that a bridge has experienced “serious deterioration,” according to the report.

A spokesman for the City Department of Transportation, which maintains the bridge, Craig Chin, said the bridge would be painted in 2009 as part of a $236 million project that also will include improvements to the bridge’s decks, approaches, and ramps. He said the rust visible under the peeling paint on the bridge’s structure has not adversely affected its safety.

“The Brooklyn Bridge is structurally safe,” he said.

. . .

The city’s bridge and tunnel report for 2005 lists an estimated cost to paint the bridge of $85 million. That’s an increase from an estimate of $74 million in the 2004 report. A paint job has been listed as “in design” for the bridge since the city’s bridge and tunnel report for 2002.

Mr. Chin said the bridge’s last paint job was between 1985 and 1991 under a state contract.

Location scout: Brooklyn Bridge.