Decaying Longfellow Bridge could close to pedestrians

Some fear that deteriorating sidewalks on the Longfellow Bridge could be bad news for pedestrians. This causes problems for all of the thousands of spectators who head to the bridge each Fourth of July for fireworks.

The 100-year-old bridge bears a heavy burden, with the T, cars and pedestrians crossing over it everyday.

Officials are scheduled to test the stability of the bridge's sidewalks over concerns that the bridge might not be able to hold the weight of the crowd.

If the results are not good, state officials could decide to close the bridge to pedestrians on the Fourth of July.

"Public safety is the number one issue and looking down the road we know we have the biggest event that we run," said Rick Sullivan, commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The final results of the bridge inspections should be released next week.

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