Heh.

So:

1) A study is released in 2002 saying 30% of bridges, about 7,000, are in trouble.

2) In the 5-10 years since the 20,000+ bridges are looked at (I'd assume it would take a couple of years to produce), none fall down involving a fatality (there was one in SF a couple years ago, but that was because a truck exploded).

3) One bridge involving fatalities collapses 5 years after the study is released.

4) Congress goes apeshit, opening up the wallet. To pay to do what? Yeah, that's right: study all the bridges again!

5) In 2009 or 2010, when the study is complete, most people will have forgotten about Minnesota, meaning Congress does not release more funds to actually fix the bridges...just like after the 2002 study.

6) ???

7) Profit!!!

It's especially stupid since inspections of every bridge interstate bridge in the nation (maybe all bridges period, I forget) are federally mandated to occur at least every 2 years. So it's not like the 20,000 have been ignored.

I'm wondering if any of the people who were injured because of this whole fiasco are going to try and sue.

Sue for what? Fuck, who would you even sue?

Nobody is responsible for this happening. Nobody could have guessed that it would have happened.

That's why they call it a "freak accident."

State Department of Transportation, Fed DoT, the original manufacturers of the bridge, the people working on the upgrades...it'll be class-action and they'll sue everyone to get all the documents they can before narrowing it down to one.

For example: if it's true that "they" knew the bridge had problems since 1990 and they still hadn't upgraded it by 2007, that certainly could be a valid lawsuit.

Not really. Our Highway divisions are terribly underfunded. Maintenance schedules are quite regular and the most critical stuff is done first. This accident was a fluke, not something predictable.

Also, you forget: If they DID shut the bridge down for a few months to repair it, people would've bitched then too. These people are unsatistfiable.

I just like how everyone expects that the infrastructure will somehow maintain itself. Maybe it's because the overpasses in my state are crumbling from under me and my state's senate is uninterested in collecting enough taxes in order to maintain our (pithy) quality of life, but I can certainly see more bridges collapsing in ten or twenty years.

No, seriously. Michigan decided that, in order to balance its budget without raising taxes (although everyone says that a tax raise will be inevitable next year), we decided to hold off on paying certain bills. You know your dotty relatives who're always down on their luck and live from paycheck to paycheck? My state is taking its financing cues from them.

threatening to lower our credit rating, and then doing so, didn't make them raise taxes

it's almost like they want us to leave or something

You're being, whatchacallit, ironic, right?

Yeah, no one could have foreseen the collapse of the

oh hee hee hee :tpg:

http://www.theatlantic.com/images/is.../brigesbig.jpg
http://www.theatlantic.com/images/is.../bridgekey.jpg

I didn't say it was logical, I just said there probably is a valid lawsuit in there.

I'm not too sure, but isn't it the state that forsee's all road and bridge repair and evaluation?

If it isn't and the people of Minnesota sued the state, wouldn't they effectively be suing themselves? Again, that's only going off of if the state is responsible for evaluating bridges and roads and fixing them.

The work is usually done by private contractors overseen and assigned by the state paid with federal funds. It's a convoluted system, but there are purposes for all of it.

Wow, all of New York is in the RED in that picture. That's kinda sad. That bottom left one for Michigan that's red... that where I am.

Though on a note of them fixing bridges, there's a bridge on I-196 that they're really working on fixing up. And last year there was one on I-94 they fixed up and widened... It's just amazing to think of how much more there is to do.

Still... the other day was such a tragedy. I read an article today concerning it and how some of the missing included a pregnant mother and her two year old daughter... it's just heartbreaking. I can't imagine what it must've been like.

Given the number of high-profile bridges in this country (many build around the same time as this one) and the amount of time the government has not been properly funding its infrastructure this was bound to happen at some time or another. As usual, state/federal government will only now start taking action to rectify this after there has been a huge failure resulting in loss of life. Granted, this was probably the result of several factors coming together at the wrong time, but it should be no excuse to prevent this problem from increasing.

I think many of those in power should start feeling quite guilty for funneling most of our budget into the Military/National Defense, without thinking about the state of their own country (roads/health care/education, etc).

Jammer: In Michigan, it's understandable, though. With the lakes as they are, we go through weather cycles of freeze/thaw that wear our roads faster than any other state out there, bar none. It's near-impossible to keep stuff properly maintained here. My father works rather high up in bridge design for the state, and it's a constant battle to be able to get done what needs to with the limited funds available (especially since the Senate seems to be of the "refuse to do anything and blame it all on Granholm" camp)

Haha, I hear you there. It's a never-ending battle with that stuff. I remember back when I was in high school, the school buses weren't supposed to cross the bridge going out of town, as that side of the bridge was deemed unsafe. It's since been fixed, but it did make me worry a little at the time.

I think the most frustrating thing aside from limited funding is also that the workers repairing the bridges and road systems can only work so fast. It's going to take a long time to get things up to code.

lol mi republican senate

what's New York's excuse though, I thought they were all dems.

I saw this on the news today (news are always some days delayed in Germany)

I noticed there was a man called "Tim Pawlenty", I guess he's the governor

http://www.stillwater.k12.mn.us/sb/s..._on_pawlty.htm

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA... fin.

Corruption crosses boundaries?

They're probably dipping into Highway funds to pay for pet projects.

Lies. Rainbows and love shoot out of democrats asses.

http://colonelskills.belkanairforce....ages/ace/1.gif

I wonder if she'll be asked about the bridges?

If that happened to the Eugene Talmage bridge over here in Savannah, our port industry would be fucked over and a lot of people WOULD be dead.

Thankfully that bridge wasn't the same length/height and a lot of people didn't get hurt.

It's a shame they can't manage to shoot out some goddamn money instead. Then we might be able to fund this shit.

Good news is, if you want to be safe from bridge collapse, move to Arizona. Their bridges are all great!

Oh wait.

hm.. I'mma a local so I hear this all over the local news. I was kinda expecting it fall any day now anyways.. I really am sorry for the lost lives though.

Why exactly were you expecting it to fall "any day now?" Unless you had some sort of inside information that was unknown to government inspectors, there is no way that you or anyone else could have predicted this. I am also a local, who happened to drive across this bridge one in a while, and I never had any inclination that it was about to fall.

Also, I find your attempt at sympathy ironic and meaningless considering what is written in your sig.