Posted on 08/05/2007 3:16:09 AM PDT by nancyvideo
As of 2005, 155,144 of the nations 592,473 bridges (26.2%) were rated structurally deficient or functionally obsolete - see how bridges in your state are ranked.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Funny, I don’t remember one whimper about infrastructure during the Clinton years. Lists? Get real...
Maybe instead of siphoning off hundreds of billions with ear marks to reward fat cat political donors and special interest groups, maybe the political class should of been taking care of the infrastructure we have now.
Here is a good example of how existing transportation dollars have been misapplied by both the State of Minnesota, and the US Govt that has a direct bearing on this bridge collapse
This bridge was determined structurally deficient in 1990. It was build using 1960s engineering norms that were now out of date.
Maybe during the 1990s the State of Minnesota diverted over a billion dollars of State, and Federal, infrastructure dollars into an eco-freak boondoggle light rail project between down town Minneapolis and the Minneapolis airport. Maybe Minnesota politicians should of been tending to their existing infrastructure instead of wasting our money for political “legacy building” and “prestige” projects.
Using the currently stated cost for rebuilding the bridge at $250 million, for the cost of the light rail project this bridge could of been completely rebuilt from scratch 5 or 6 times during the 1990s.
This “Light Rail”project was largely the brain child of the Metropolitan Council . Either as the head of the council, or one of its most politically connected members, at the time was former VP Walter Mondale’s son Ted.
The sadly ironic thing here is the terminal for this billion dollar waste of state and Federal transportation dollars is about 1 mile from the bridge that collapsed.
Here is the link to the the website about the line. The bridge that collapsed is the one on the map where 35W crosses the blue line of the Mississippi River in the upper right of the map.
http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/lrt/lrt.htm
Additional information
What I don’t like is that they are going to raise the price of all bridges now. It cost about 8 dollars a bridge in New York City. How much will it cost now that politicians see a way to raise the costs...
I say we fight that with all our might. People should just stay home every day until those tolls are removed. When the economy tanks perhaps our leaders will get religion. I don’t really know what else to suggest. If it takes general strikes here in the US, then that’s what we should do. I’m sick of our leaders bending us over for their enjoyment.
They squander hundreds of billions, then carp about the cost of new bridges. Then they act is if we haven’t figured this out.
We pledged $45 billion to African nations over the last three years. $45 friggen billion! I’m thinkin that may have bought us a few bridges.
Doesn’t it seem like we could have developed a new way to build strong bridges at a reasonable cost by now? Sure seems like a possibility to me.
Politicians salivate at disasters. Prime opportunity to increase government control and put more dollars in the public trough. When disaster don’t occur naturally, they precipitate them (alar, coral reef’s etc), never being held to account. I predict this may change in the next few years as ‘sunshine’ (internet, FNC, talk radio)continue to proliferate. In the meantime, hold onto your wallets.
This is largely a scare tactic by the media, and a play for more tax money from the politicians.
I looked at that list, knowing many of the local structures. The criteria for ‘obsolete’ is anything less than absolutely brand new, apparently. What a load.
Here in Pennsylvania, we have huge infrastructure issues.
First, the state get incredible fuel tax revenue as we are the major corridor to NY, Boston and DC from the west.
Our Dept of Transportation spends over 95% of its budget on maintenance. That means our roads do not get expanded to handle the larger traffic loads.
The recent budget passed under Democrat Governor Rendell called for turning Interstate 80 into a toll road with the money collected to be used for mass transit.
Folks, I-80 does not run through any parts of the state that require mass transit. It is mostly rural farmland.
This is the type of political decisions that led to the I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis.
PS: If a construction project is given to a private contractor, they are forced to pay "prevailing wages" starting at $25 per hour for all workers on state paid jobs.
Funny how that works.
And our state, NC, pulled another 190 million dollars this year from it’s highway trust fund to grease the hands of politicos with pork.
A yearly raid that has shorted this state billions in highway money. But we need to put toll booths on I-95 to raise more money?
I’ll bet your state has been diverting more transportation funds to mass transet than you are aware of. These idiots think roads that were built fifty years ago will do just fine for another fifty year, because you are going to give up your car and ride the bus or rail.
I’ve got a good use for those rails, just about the only one for day transit. Run the politicians out of town on them, and don’t let them come back.
Our parents and grandparents contributed to get our road system set up back in the 50s and 60s. Since then the idiots in control have diverted funds. Well, it’s time to hold our current leaders feet to the fire until they get with the program.
We need new roads. We need our old ones repaired and expanded. That’s the long and short of it. Now get to work.
Those puddin heads don’t plan on building another mile of new roads. They’ve bought into the conservationist mentality and they’re going to shove that down our throats whether we like it or not, unless we get up off our hind sides and tell THEM to shove it.
Exactly right!
Infrastructure and the homeless, two problems that are miraculously resolved around January 26th of the years Democrats are inaugurated to the presidency. No Children go hungry, there are no poor and all of a sudden the trees start singing Hail ot the Chief, the climate is great, the drinking water likewise.
The headline is grossly misleading. All the article does is give a state-by-state listing of PERCENTAGES of bridges that are “structurally deficient”-—not an actual list of bridges (which would actually be useful).
Good point. And the same type of boondoggle is going on in the Seattle-Tacoma area.
Must click the link.
D1, that "decaying infrastructure" meme is at least as old as the 1992 Clinton campaign, and just as fraudulent.
I well remember back in '92 the Dems instructing their members to take videos of leaking ceilings and crumbling walls at local schools, as "proof" Evil George Boosh was neglecting business at home.
I remember how outraged I was at the tactic, fuming ( to my long-suffering wife ) "Isn't the school board supposed to take care of this? What business is it of the Federal Government?"
Oh, well... can't allow facts or skepticism to interfere with the "narrative."
If you follow the link, click on the map, you can find a total listing in each state by county.
I’m not buying all of msnbc’s panic. They have bridges on the list in my area that were just overhauled....................in the last year.
Once there, scroll down and you find a county listing.
Click on the desired county and you jump to the structurally deficient bridges in that county.
I found out that I drive across two of them every work day. Swell.
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