The outside lanes on the Bay Bridge will be closed indefinitely for Route 104 traffic after a recent inspection revealed the need for repairs, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. The closure affects the right lane in both directions of traffic. Overweight loads with a special hauling R permit are prohibited from the bridge for now.
A recent inspection led to concerns about the steel in the bridge. DOT engineers are analyzing the bridge to determine if repairs are necessary.
There is no timetable for the lanes' reopening, but the bridge is open for traffic with reduced lanes.
The Irondequoit Bay Bridge is almost identical in construction to the I-35 bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis a few years ago. Since that time there have been several repairs to it, and they still don't seem to have gotten it right. Kind of scary.
I can see this turning into a decade-long headache for Webster commuters.