CNN reports major bridge collapse in Minnesota

[gtalum]

And just think. if the federal government would divert just a fraction of the trillions of dollars it wastes every year to infrastructure instead, we wouldn't have problems like this at all.

[vbhoutex]

And just think. if the federal government would divert just a fraction of the trillions of dollars it wastes every year to infrastructure instead, we wouldn't have problems like this at all.

That is easy to say, but can you back it up. How would the diversion of monies have kept this from happening?(I am playing devil's advocate here)

[Stephanie]

There will still be problems - monies diverted from the Federal Government would have to be specifically designated for the state's infrastructure. No loopholes for other uses. If the monies are used elsewhere, then there should be a penalty.

We have the Delaware River Port Authority that oversees the bridges connecting NJ to PA and DE. They've long had a loophole to be able to help fund and or invest in other ventures in and around the area like the Kimmel Center, a Soccer Stadium, etc. Now after the bridge collapse in MN and the huge microscope put on every bridge in the country, they are crying for increased tolls so they could fund maintenance and repair for the bridges. Several of them are old - I think 50 to 75 years old like the Ben Franklin Bridge and need work. Needless to say, there's a lot of tempers flaring and finger pointing. It's digusting, IMHO.

[gtalum]

That is easy to say, but can you back it up. How would the diversion of monies have kept this from happening?(I am playing devil's advocate here)

The US infrastructure is failing.

Here is one study which found that as of 2003 nearly a third of US bridges are "structurally deficient" and that it would cost about $1.6 Trillion to repair them all.

Our federal government has always underfunded the highway system, and as the system ages the problems will just become more numerous and more serious unless we address them quickly and effectively.

The Minnesota bridge had been listed as structurally deficient for a decade or more.

Edit: I know the source I linked is a biased "think-tank", but if you follow their supporting links you'll find that the numbers reported are accurate, so just ignore the political commentary.

[gtalum]

FWIW, one simple thing that will help our highway infrastructure is already happening thanks to higher fuel prices: shifting freight back to rails as much as possible. It is incredibly inefficient to use trucks to ship freight across the nation. The efficient way to do it is to use trucks primarily to connect individual shippers and receivers to the nearest rail terminals and then use rail for the long-distance portion of the transit. We should simultaneously work to rebuild more rail terminals in under-served areas. It is a shame that we allowed our rail infrastructure to wither.

Removing a large percentage of truck-miles from the nation's highways will both reduce our demand on fuel and reduce the stress on the highway infrastructure.

[RL3AO]

New bridge opened today at 5am.

[vbhoutex]

FWIW, one simple thing that will help our highway infrastructure is already happening thanks to higher fuel prices: shifting freight back to rails as much as possible. It is incredibly inefficient to use trucks to ship freight across the nation. The efficient way to do it is to use trucks primarily to connect individual shippers and receivers to the nearest rail terminals and then use rail for the long-distance portion of the transit. We should simultaneously work to rebuild more rail terminals in under-served areas. It is a shame that we allowed our rail infrastructure to wither.

Removing a large percentage of truck-miles from the nation's highways will both reduce our demand on fuel and reduce the stress on the highway infrastructure.

You got that right X 1000!!!!!!! And if investors would put their money into the new technologies available for rail transit, at least in some instances, it could compete with air for speed of movement.