BOSTON (WHDH) - The Boston City Council is demanding answers on city infrastructure after a deteriorated light pole hit a woman walking in the city.
The council noted that 23 light poles were taken down as a precaution from the Evelyn Moakley Bridge in Seaport after a woman was struck by a pole as it fell last week.
At the meeting, several city councilors agreed the city needs to be more up-to-date on their upgrades.
“We do need some questions answered,” City Councilor Frank Baker said. “There’s a report there that showed failing infrastructure, whose desk was it on? Did you read it? If you read it, how come there isn’t any action on it?”
City Councilor Michael Flaherty specified other issues in need of comprehensive upgrades throughout the city, approaching the light pole situation as a sort of wake-up call.
“This is maybe an opportunity for us to reset the button, fully on our roads and our bridges and our light poles and our infrastructure,” Flaherty said. “But we really got a take a long hard look at our gas lines, and our water lines, to make sure that we’re making the necessary upgrades.”
As previously reported, the bridge and street lights were built in the 1990s by MassDOT as part of the Big Dig, according to the City. In an inspection of the bridge this past January 2022, officials had given the poles a “5” rating on a scale of 1-9, designating them as being in “fair condition.”
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