New Report Highlights Costs Of Deficient Bridges. The Washington Post (6/18, Halsey) reports that the think tank Transportation for America recently released a report based on Federal and state data that raises the question: “Where will the $76 billion come from that the” FHWA claims is required “to repair deficient bridges that carry 260 million vehicles each day?” According to the article, the group pointed out in its report that “with nearly half of the deficient bridges at least 65 years old...’the maintenance backlog will only deteriorate as bridges age and costs rise.’” However, the Post mentions three bridge collapses, which were not caused by structural deficiencies. For instance, it points out that the NTSB concluded that an “eight-lane bridge in Minneapolis...which collapsed in 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145, had been flawed from its construction in the 1960s.” USA Today (6/19, Copeland) reports, “More than one in nine bridges in the USA — at least 66,405, or 11% of the total — are structurally deficient, according to a new report.” Moreover, “these are not rarely used, out-of-the way structures: Each day, Americans take 260 million trips over structurally deficient bridges, says the report from Transportation for America, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition that works to improve transportation.” Meanwhile, “the structurally deficient bridges are 65 years old on average, and the Federal Highway Administration estimates that repairing them would cost $76 billion.” The Providence (RI) Journal (6/19, Landis) notes that “the group said that although the situation is improving nationally, the pace of improvement has slowed in recent years and that there are now 15 states with more deficient bridges than in 2011.” I note that our roads and dams are in similar deteriorated condition and that Asian countries like S. Korea have much faster internet. There is something seriously wrong when we spend nearly 50% more on our military preparedness than the rest of the world combined does but let our infrastructure, internet speed, educational system fall behind those countries with which we compete.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:02:58 +0000
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