Posted on 08/01/2007 6:20:17 PM PDT by SelectiveJNJ
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has rated almost 200,000 bridges, or one of every three bridges in the U.S., as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Furthermore, more than one-fourth of all bridges are over 50 years old, the average design-life of a bridge. The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) of the U.S. National Research Council recently estimated that the cost of damage to America's bridges currently stands at about $20 billion and is increasing at the rate of $500 million per year. SHRP concluded that the structural deterioration found in these bridges is primarily the result of corrosion.
(Excerpt) Read more at nace.org ...
Great....
To build all the shiny new freeways that connect the shiny new suburbs people seem to want to inhabit instead of living in the city.
Well, no, they didn’t.
Diversity training.
Those terms have specific definitions for inspection and bridge management purposes. Don’t have them with me, they are at work.
I know in CT, every bridge gets inspected every ten years, and those in bad shape get more frequent inspections. There isn't enough money to fix them all. We spend way way more on entitlements than public safety issues like this one.
Light rail.
Pretty sure I’ve paid for a Bridge somewhere.
I am Notorious in my little Village, so is the Fire Department Chief, but since the Assistant City Manager was Fired for Fixing Tickets, he may wuss out and start buckling up (and looking for love elsewhere), I will just keep paying the Fine. Wish I would have known who to sleep with at City Hall, could have saved a bunch of Money (then again she wasn’t much to look at, Viagra probably would have been more expensive than my Fines).
Prediction... two Weeks is all it will take... from the time the Tax Collection Scheme was Exposed to All in the Paper, then shut down with apologies to All... my prediction... 2 weeks it will be back in full force, the reason is when you hire Relatives as Police, they were just as Chicken (manure) after they put the Uniform on as before they wore it, they still Identify more with the Gang they came from, than they do with the VFW and they get lots of COOL Toys when they bust people for not wearing Seat belts etc etc besides all they get is threats of retaliation from their buddies in the hood, the rest of the village is sheeple.
While I am ranting... If a Company requires me to push 1 or 2 for English, they lost my Business... and it will never return (but I will find their kissing my ass to return amusing)
TT
More and more billions upon billions are spent each year on welfare and badly spent on “education” yet our infrastructure systems are falling apart.
Here in Colorado we had one Democrat governor after another spend more and more on welfare and education while stealing monies from infrastructure. We finally got Republican Bill Owens in office and he immediately got us the T-REX, or I-25, project in place, and many other projects. Funny thing was that all those previous Democrat governors said they couldnt do such a thing.
In Texas “EVERYTHING” is to pay for Public Schools, then once it hits the Public Coffers it mingles with all the other funds and then we need to raise Property Taxes, State Sales Tax and Fuel Taxes just to keep New Public School Construction (each and every one named after a really spiffy Politician, with Stadiums and Olympic sized Pools) on track and on schedule.
10 or 20 years from now the Population will grow enough to allow them to lower Property Taxes... Promise!
am I
Jaded?
am I
Seasoned?
TT
As a retired educator I can say with some small authority that money has not been a problem for the public schools since WWII. And school boards will spend as readily as any other legislature, and they will spend it on what the voters want. They want winning football coaches more than they want math teachers.
Bricks and Mortar are not flashy enough for the politcians.
I’ve been watching the local Fox coverage where the bridge collapsed...they keep saying things like this doesn’t happen here...they happen in other states. I couldn’t believe these people...the attitude was shocking...
This bridge is old, built in the 50s, is steep, shakes, they cannot
keep light bulbs burning because the vibration burns out the bulbs,
scary to cross, is rusted, has way more traffic than it was designed
for, and was weaken by hurricane Rita.
>>>>>All those road taxes and fuel taxes went WHERE ?<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>”Diversity training”<<<<<<<<<<!
Hate to say it but many on this forum would consider it “Money Well Spent”
Me I’m just going to invest in some really baggy oversized pants, a Nappy style wig (since I’m Bald) and “Learning the Spanish Language” tapes.
Figuring out what the Mayors Sister and Wife like to do during City Council Meetings will have to be relegated to City Employees, on and off duty Cops and those folks appointed to City positions that don’t have to show up for City Council Meetings (since it really screws up the annual Family Reunion if you already have one every freaking Month at City Hall), although they would probably fully endorse any “diversity training” expenditures anyway.
TT
You are Correct Sir!
My House note was <$500 12 years ago, now >$1000 (same house, same note, back then insurance and property tax was <$150 of the mix, now it’s 2/3’s of the payment)
We now have School Stadiums, Olympic sized Pools, Tennis Courts, nice track and field training area (separate from the Stadium) at the School.
Gov Good Hair Talked State Farm Insurance into returning to Texas for Mandatory Worthless Home Owners Insurance after they canceled everyones policies, and you know that once an Insurance Company Cancels you (for any reason) your Insurance doubles (funny how that works eh).
We also have Cameras at the Stop Lights (and a whole bunch more Stop Lights, it was a package deal) and in return we got some really spiffy city flag poles and city flags to show our Community Spirit!
TT
Yep - our mayor's putting in bike paths - everywhere...
U.S. Infrastructure Found to Be in Disrepair
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1830529/posts May 9, 2007
Is aging infrastructure slowing the U.S.?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1857078/posts 06/27/2007
And why is that? They have money for maintanence, but just you watch.
They are going to call for a ‘public/private’ partnership with some foreign company like Macquerie or Cintra, because Americans can’t afford to build their own highway bridges. To make it worth their while, the foreign company is going to charge tolls with a guaranteed return by the US taxpayer.
You wait and see.
Only if it’s needed for a trans-continental highway. Otherwise they’ll let it stand.
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