Metro-North commuters know what to expect when the 118-year-old Walk Bridge in Norwalk, Connecticut fails to close after boats pass underneath — long hours stuck on a train waiting for repairs.
A federal Northeast Corridor advisory commission says the Walk Bridge, and three other 100-year-old rail spans in Westport, Greenwich and between Stratford and Milford, are seriously deteriorated and in need of replacement.
“These aging infrastructure assets are unreliable, technologically obsolete and increasingly prone to failures that create delays for riders,” the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission said in its first capital plan.
Established by Congress to develop recommendations for the rail corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, the Northeast commission proposes spending billions of dollars over the next five years to replace bridges and improve the vital rail system.
“Bridges built in the 1800s are, by definition, safety concerns,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, who, along with others, is calling on Congress to immediately allocate $555 million for rail safety projects.