Fire Island Inlet bridge passed inspections before gaping hole appeared, records show

Fire Island Inlet Bridge, which a viral video showed had a gaping hole last week and was temporarily closed last summer after a fishing boat captain reported a falling chunk of concrete, passed two inspections over the past two years without receiving a "poor" rating, according to state and federal records.

A month before the span had to be shut down for emergency repairs in July, an inspection had rated it "not poor" — scoring at least 5 out of 9, according to a state database. Thirteen months before that, another inspection had rated the deck 6 out of 9, or "satisfactory," according to a more detailed federal database.

The video taken before last weekend’s blizzard showed the Great South Bay through a more-than foot-wide hole in the deck and gaps in exposed rebar.

"Emergency emergency emergency!" the video-taker says.

The state Transportation Department, which maintains the bridge leading to Robert Moses State Park, said it has since conducted temporary repairs and it is safe. Experts told Newsday the video does not itself indicate structural dangers, although it was a hazard for drivers in need of immediate fixing. They also voiced concern about deteriorating bridge conditions statewide.

Stephen Canzoneri, a spokesman for the state transportation department, said in an email that the damage was likely caused by recent severe freeze-thaw cycles. The department placed steel plates over the section last week, with more repairs planned "when conditions permit."

Asked whether a mistake was made in prior inspections of the bridge, Canzoneri said, "New York maintains one of the most rigorous bridge inspection programs in the nation, with inspections required at least every two years and led by licensed professional engineers who receive specialized training."

A planned rehabilitation of the bridge, which connects Jones Beach Island and Fire Island, isn't scheduled until the fall of 2027. On Tuesday, Assemb. Jarett Gandolfo (R-Sayville) and Michael Durso (R-Massapequa Park) called on the state to move up that date.

"We appreciate NYSDOT’s swift response in completing emergency repairs and reopening the bridge," said Gandolfo in a statement. "However, I don’t think anyone is comfortable with the pavement eroding to the point that we can see the water below."

Rigoberto Burgueño, a structural engineer who chairs Stony Brook University's civil engineering department, said seeing the damage to the bridge's deck was "quite a shock," but the video by itself doesn't indicate what's happening to more important structural elements. 

"The immediate danger is from a driver-hitting-a-pothole type of incident," he said.

Michael Shenoda, a professor of civil engineering at Farmingdale State College, said he "would be more concerned if there was a hole through the structure, a hole through one of the beams." He added, "It's still bad, and it's something that you want to fix ASAP."

New York bridges are inspected component-by-component at least every two years and receive an overall score from one (worst) to nine (best).

A June 5 inspection resulted in a status of "not poor," meaning a score of 5 or above, although the state’s database does not detail the exact score or how that was determined. "Poor" means "advanced section loss, deterioration, spalling or scour" in the deck, substructure or superstructure, although it does not by itself mean a bridge needs to immediately be closed. Newsday has submitted a public record request for that inspection report.

A national database, which is more detailed but does not include the June inspection, shows a May 2024 inspection gave the bridge an overall score of 5 out of 9, meaning "fair" — a status shared with over 400 other bridges on Long Island. The deck, parts of which would be falling into the water within 14 months, earned 6 points, or "satisfactory," meaning "structural elements show some minor deterioration."

Burgueño said that inspections, which are conducted visually, are prone to error.

Different inspectors "could have different interpretations of the damage," he said, adding that conditions can sometimes deteriorate quickly, especially when scores fall into the range of 5 or 6.

Statewide, official data show the number of "poor" bridges ticked up each of the past two years, after falling each of the prior seven years. Long Island has a significantly lower proportion of bridges in "poor" condition than statewide, but it has the highest proportion in "fair" condition of any region in the state, around 71%. That number has also been ticking up.

Many bridges are owned and maintained by local governments, which depend on state aid to make expensive repairs. A 2024 state comptroller report found that local bridges tend to be in worse condition than state-owned bridges, since local authorities face challenges addressing long-term infrastructure needs while also maintaining day-to-day operations.

Fred Hiffa, a former state transportation deputy commissioner who now lobbies for town road departments in Albany, said the state has not shared enough bridge aid with local governments, and has not been spending allocated funding on its own roads and bridges fast enough.

"At some point you can't just keep putting this stuff off," he said. "What ends up happening is, instead of a bridge repair, it's a bridge replacement. Instead of a thin overlay, it becomes a full-depth reconstruction. Everything becomes more expensive as you allow more and more bridges to become deficient."

Canzoneri pointed to the state's five-year $34.4 billion capital plan, which expires in 2027. Across the state, the plan includes $600 million in paving projects this year — including work on State Routes 24, 25, 27, and 110 — and about $200 million in local bridge aid.

"Under this plan, we anticipate a significant reduction in the percentage of bridges and highways rated Poor over the next five years," he said.