Audit: Port Authority Missed Inspections On 'Potentially Hazardous' NJ And NY Bridges

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A New York state audit says the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey failed to perform dozens of inspections on bridges that had already been determined to be potentially hazardous.

The review released Friday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that the authority waited more than a year to conduct 47 inspections on bridges identified in earlier examinations as having conditions that, if ignored, could become dangerous. Most of the problems were on the George Washington Bridge.

The authority disputed the findings, noting that it spends billions of dollars on bridge upkeep. The authority says the repairs and inspections were done in a timely manner.

The authority operates 116 bridge sections, ramps and pedestrian walkways at two airports, one tunnel and on four highway bridges. The audit analyzed inspections between 2008 and June 2013.

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