Report: Thousands of New York Bridges Structurally Deficient

They span from borough to borough and county to county but bridges in the New York and New Jersey area are in trouble.

An investigation by the Associated Press surveyed bridges across the country and found that thousands of aging spans in the two states are structurally deficient and in need of crucial repairs. The list includes the landmark Brooklyn Bridge and the Pulaski Skyway.

According to the report nearly 600 bridges in New York and New Jersey are in a state of advanced deterioration and lack back-up safety technology, putting those structures particularly at risk.

Associated Press National Investigations Editor, Rick Pienciak says the reason New York and New Jersey bridges are in such bad shape comes down to money.

"I think it's pretty much economics, the infrastructure budgets on the state level and on the federal level have suffered greatly in the last say 10 to 20 years and we keep putting off until tomorrow everything that is not an emergency," Pienciak said.

To hear a full interview with Rick Pienciak, click audio above.