Governor Deval Patrick today toured the Interstate 190 Bridge over Route 12 project in Worcester, left, to highlight the early success of the Patrick-Murray Administration's unprecedented $3 billion, eight-year Accelerated Bridge Program to reduce the Commonwealth's backlog of structurally-deficient bridges. 

In less than two years, 13 ABP bridge projects have been completed with 62 more projects beginning or continuing this upcoming construction season, creating hundreds of engineering and construction jobs and providing long-term savings in avoided inflation and deferred maintenance costs. 

Since May 2008, the number of structurally deficient bridges targeted by ABP has dropped more than 9%, down 49 bridges, from 543 to 494.  At least 200 bridge projects will be completed during the eight-year program. The total value of ABP projects advertised to date exceeds $472 million. 

The I-190 project in Worcester is repairing a structurally-deficient bridge carrying a heavily-traveled Interstate highway over Route 12 near the Greendale Mall in Worcester.  The bridge is currently under construction as part of a $3.6 million contract to repair structurally deficient bridges in the Worcester region.  

In Central Massachusetts alone, the ABP Substructure Repair contracts total $11.2 million and have already removed 16 bridges from the structurally deficient list with repairs made to another 14 bridges, preventing those bridges from deteriorating and being added to the list.  Work is also underway at three locations along the I-495 corridor where repairs will prevent a total of 6 bridges from becoming structurally-deficient.  The Patrick-Murray Administration provides the latest information on the interactive ABP website.