Across U.S., bridges crumble as repair funds fall short

[marmar]

(LA Times) SCHWENKSVILLE, Pa. — Engineers think that three of the bridges closest to Dave Wisler's home are about ready to collapse.

One, a picturesque one-lane structure built in 1893, became so perilous it was closed last summer, and the county doesn't have the money to fix it. Another bridge, just down the road, is well-known for the concrete that chips off the bottom as children play in the creek below — it's currently under repair.

Traffic was diverted to a third bridge nearby, but some drivers noticed a worrying humming noise as they drove over it, and their windows rattled. Authorities have since found that bridge is too dangerous to drive over too, and don't know when they'll be able to reopen it.

To get to a barn that he's restoring across the river, about 300 yards away, Wisler now has to drive 15 minutes past homes and parks and blinking orange and white construction signs. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-aging-bridges-20130904,0,4964515.story

[BlueToTheBone]

1. Looks like we are closer to being drowned in that bathtub

of Grover's. Damn republicans!

[Starry Messenger]

2. Glad we've still got money for war though.

[Romulox]

3. Easy solution: Bomb Syria! nt

[leftstreet]

4. 'Companies awarded $8 billion in contracts to rebuild...'

...Iraq and Afghanistan have been major campaign donors to President Bush, and their executives have had important political and military connections, according to a study released Thursday.
...
Bechtel was second with a $1 billion capital construction contract involving Iraq's utilities, telecommunications, railroads, ports, schools, health care facilities, bridges, roads and airports.

11 Feb 2009

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500257_162-580998.html

Oh whoops! Nevermind. That was a different kind of infrastructure rebuilding...

DURec

[jsr]

5. Attack Syria ASAP.

[sarisataka]

6. So? What's the worst that could happen?

[Orrex]

9. I blame too much regulation

The free market would have saved that bridge.

[NuclearDem]

11. They really should just pull themselves up by their bootstruts.

Damn freeloading abutments.

[Orrex]

15. Truss no one.

[NuclearDem]

7. So, you're saying we need to invade Iran?

[Thav]

12. We need to invade all the countries.

As soon as possible. All funds to the millitary! Cut taxes on the rich to pay for it!

[KG]

8. always money for war, always.

that didn't 'change'

[woo me with science]

10. Well, the schools are being closed, and people are unemployed.

Who needs to cross those bridges anyway?


Not when there are missiles and surveillance systems to buy.

[CakeGrrl]

13. Lesson: Congressional Republicans are bad for progress.

I don't know why people are conflating this with a response to Syria.

These domestic issues could also be addressed if a GOP-controlled Congress (majority in House, filibuster-happy in Senate) wasn't so unilaterally obstructionist and committed to protecting the rich from taxation.

[Egalitarian Thug]

14. I think most if it has been said. K&R n/t

[joeybee12]

16. These governors need to use chemical weapons on their citizens...

We'll bomb them and get rid of ALL the bridges.

THEN we'll pay to rebuild them.

[reformist2]

17. Yet more examples of how the 1% have hollowed out Middle America.

While the elite live in showcase estates in the leafy suburbs or in gleaming mansions on the coasts, the rest of the nation slowly crumbles. They don't seem to realize that their wealth has come from improverishing millions.

[wandy]

18. And you wonder why some old moose is dead set against military action in Syria. ne

[One_Life_To_Give]

19. 15.7 Billion

Amount of stimulus dollars spent by the states on road and bridge repair. Another 8.9 Billion spent building new ones. So that roughly 6% of the 400Billion spent (700Billion minus 300Billion tax cuts yields 400 billion actual spending)

Note ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) estimates 3.6Trillion in repairs needed. That is about equal to the amount we will spend between now and 2020 on Defense. People need work our bridges and water/gas pipes are falling apart. And all we can spend our money on is the latest smart bombs, to be used halfway around the world?

[Maven]

20. Clearly the solution is to bomb them into repair.

[HappyMe]

21. Weren't theses kinds of projects

part of that jobs program that the repubs crapped on.