Nova Scotia bridges in poor condition

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HALIFAX, N.S. — At least 50 bridges in rural Nova Scotia have gone without repairs for almost two years despite inspectors’ reports warning they’re a risk to drivers.

The documents indicate that in the central region of the province, the most densely populated, 75 of the 385 bridges inspected since 1999 were rated poor, which signifies a risk to drivers.

There’s no indication in the reports how many of those central region bridges may have been fixed since the first inspections. And Mark Pertus, manager of structural engineering for the Transportation Department, couldn’t provide an estimate.

Problems with the crossings range from cracks in the support structures in steel truss bridges to rotting timbers in single-lane rural bridges.

For more than 50 bridges across the province, the inspectors indicate there has been no progress between the reports submitted in 2000 and the most recent reports submitted this summer.

Transportation Minister, Ron Russell, says the province doesn’t have any bridges that are open to the travelling public that they would consider to be creating a safety risk.

Russell promised he will make an announcement within months to improve the situation.

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