Driving home from work I was shocked to hear about the I-35 bridge collapse on the radio.
My first thought: god, that is terrible!
My second thought: Isn't this exactly the kind of thing we have been warned could happen to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and to the Viaduct here in Seattle?
Followed by: Dammit, why is there a blank check for spending on Iraq but the idea of paying taxes for infrastructure in this country remains political suicide?
For years there have been quiet tales of warning about our own aging infrastructure -- everything from public schools to power lines to mass transit to bridges that were predominantly built during the cold war years. These facilities are something we take for granted and use every day yet no one wants to spend on their maintenance or replacement. Nothing lasts forever.
Even discussions of digital infrastructure, like a national fiber optic network, have gone nowhere. Tax money was granted to the big phone companies but the network was never built and none of our leaders seem to care.
Leaving aside safety, how are we going to compete economically with China and India when those countries are building brand new state of the art infrastructure while ours crumbles from neglect?
How bad does it have to get here before we see real political leadership and voter support for improvements?
Aging Infrastructure: How Bad Is It?
August 4, 2007
Wall Street Journal
How serious is the problem of aging infrastructure? The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, a major artery used by 141,000 daily, was first deemed "structurally deficient" by state engineers in 1990, a designation that requires repairs but doesn't mean the bridge is unsafe. Nearly one-quarter of the 600,000 bridges in the U.S. are listed as structurally deficient or obsolete, down from one-third in 1992, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Obsolete bridges don't meet certain traffic standards due to older design features, but aren't necessarily unsafe for all vehicles.
While bridge failures remain rare, one-third of some 40,000 highway fatalities every year result from substandard road conditions, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. The group also warns that one-third of major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Congestion delays in the 85 largest metropolitan areas cost the average traveler 47 hours in 2003, up from 16 hours in 1982, according to the Texas Transportation Institute.
As the nation's infrastructure ages -- last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System -- growing congestion on the roads, rails and in the skies has spurred calls for a new national transportation plan.
How much could an upgrade cost? The American Society of Civil Engineers puts the total price tag for improvements to the nation's roads, bridges, dams, water systems and airports at $1.6 trillion. Repairing deficient bridges alone would cost $188 billion over 20 years.
But finding money for transportation projects has grown more difficult, in part because the federal gas tax, which pays for improvements, hasn't risen since 1993. Also, highway construction costs have risen 50% since 1999. The federal Highway Trust Fund is projected to run a deficit of nearly $4 billion in 2009.
