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Whole chunks of the Williamsburg Bridge that passed a state inspection three years ago are missing today, eaten away by rust, and the city's top officials say they don't know exactly why.
"The deterioration is much greater than anyone had ever imagined," Mayor Edward I. Koch said. "Huge beams have holes in them and clearly are not in the position to hold up the trains," which run across the 1,600-foot span.
Koch blamed years of neglect, dating back to World War II for the bridge's troubles, but cited no specific causes. The Williamsburg, which links the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is the first major bridge in the city to be completely closed to vehicular and train traffic. It was closed late Tuesday after recent inspections revealed "numerous defects" in the span.
Maintenance directors said the corrosion is easily explained: A 10-year painting and cleaning cycle has literally glazed over the bridge's problems for decades.
"I haven't been impressed with the job that contractors have done, because they haven't done the surface prep work," said George Zandalasini, deputy director for Engineering Management at the city Department of Transportation.
Surface preparation includes sanding away surface rust, which can eat away at steel even when painted over.
"A 10-year cycle would probably be adequate if we could do spot-painting every two years," he said, watching as workers painted a stretch of the main span with orange primer. "But that hasn't been done because we don't have the money or the manpower." The bridge's sidespans and main towers were painted in 1985, and the approaches and main span are now being coated, Zandalasini said.
Yesterday, as inspectors and work crews swarmed over the span, an estimated 250,000 car and train commuters endured the first day of finding ways to get to work and back without relying on the bridge.
Despite...