Thursday, 4:30 PM
Deteriorating beams found on Longfellow Bridge
(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)
The Longfellow Bridge is undergoing a 40-day review. It is considered structurally deficient by federal standards.
By Globe Staff
The Longfellow Bridge, which is being scrutinized by the state because of its age and its similarity to the Minnesota span that collapsed earlier this month, needs more repairs, state officials said today.
Two beams on the venerable bridge over the Charles are deteriorated and need to be replaced, said Wendy Fox, a spokeswoman for the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
"This is a 100-year-old bridge. It's not surprising to find this kind of thing. What you want to do is fix it, and that's what we're doing," Fox said.
The "jack beams" were added to the bridge to support other beams. Fox said they were corroded enough that they needed to be replaced immediately.
State officials said repair work will be undertaken at night, beginning tonight. Two to three nights of work might be needed, but the bridge will not have to be closed to traffic.
Fox said the bridge is "wonderful in its redundancy," noting that it has 11 arches and 100,000 pieces of steel in it.
"If one thing goes, there's something else to hold it up," she said.
"If we thought for one minute this bridge was not safe, we would close it," she said.
The Longfellow is undergoing a 40-day review by a private consultant. The bridge is considered structurally deficient by federal standards and is due for a major rehabilitation that could cost up to $200 million.
Last week, crews began removing 200-pound decorative strips from the side of the bridge. The strips had become loosened and officials didn't want them falling in the water.
