buckling bridge

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by jms62

The ****ing thing is CLOSED and poses a danger because of a buckling support beam. But I guess since the article didn't mention crumbling in your mind you are right. But why let reality of the situation get in the way when there you have an out with semantics.

http://gizmodo.com/does-this-bucklin...tru-1403403766


the article references an ap article, linked here:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-im...-and-rundown-5


one issue seems to be the increased capacity of our highways and bridges, and the weight carried as well. these bridges were built decades ago, with far fewer vehicles on the road. many interstates are congested now, still with only two lanes of traffic. these bridges simply weren't engineered for the amount of use they are seeing.
back when they introduced the last stimulus, i said that the money should go into highways and bridges. that way, jobs would be there, money being spent by the employees, and infrastructure would be taken care of-wins all around. it would have been money well spent.

and, take note:

Congressional interest in fixing bridges rose after the I-35W collapse in Minneapolis, but efforts to add billions of federal dollars specifically for repair and replacement of deteriorating bridges foundered. A sweeping transportation law enacted last year eliminated a dedicated bridge fund that had been around for more than three decades. State transportation officials had complained the fund's requirements were too restrictive. Now, bridge repairs or replacements must compete with other types of highway projects for federal aid.