A recent White House report pegged Connecticut road and bridge structures as among the worst in the nation.
The analysis, conducted by the National Economic Council and the president”™s Council of Economic Advisers, reported the state had the highest percentage of roads in poor condition in the U.S., tying with Rhode Island at 41 percent. Connecticut also ranked fourth in the report in percentage of deficient and obsolete bridges, behind Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and tied with West Virginia at 35 percent.
Kevin Nursick, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said the White House’s report is an “unfair assessment” of Connecticut’s roads and bridges because the public could easily misinterpret the findings to mean the department is neglecting the safety of travelers.
Nursick said the costs for road and bridge projects are increasing each year, yet federal funding levels remain the same, which means making difficult choices on what infrastructure receives priority. He said the assertion that Connecticut has the highest percentage of poor road conditions addresses “rideability” and not the safety of its highways.
“If we had to choose between fixing bridges or improving rideability, we’ll be leaning toward fixing bridges,” Nursick said. “Every year, we repave 200 to 250 miles of roads in the state. We have a constant cycle when it comes to repavement. We address the most critical needs first. While we’d like to see the rideability numbers higher, we’re still making responsible decisions for Connecticut and the users of our infrastructure.”
Check Westfaironline.com on Thursday for an extended report on the state’s roads and bridges.
