HUNDREDS OF BRIDGES IN NEW MEXICO ARE LISTED AS STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT, ACCORDING TO A NATIONAL BRIDGE INVENTORY. AND RAY TRUJILLO WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAYS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE NOW BEING SPENT TO MAKE NECESSARY REPAIRS. BUT TRUJILLO SAYS THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE UNSAFE OR ABOUT TO FALL DOWN…THEY JUST NEED SOME MAINTENANCE.
THE STATE IS FIXING 10 STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT BRIDGES THIS YEAR, AND NEXT YEAR ABOUT THREE DOZEN WILL BE REPLACED. TRUJILLO SAYS SOME BRIDGES DATE BACK TO THE 1940S. MANY OF THOSE BRIDGES CARRY MUCH MORE TRAFFIC THEN THEY DID WHEN THEY WERE BUILT.
