[Samirol]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/28/bridge.report/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It would cost at least $140 billion to repair all the nation's bridges if work began immediately, a nationwide safety organization said in a comprehensive report Monday.

The report was released days before the first anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The price tag will rise if the repairs are delayed, the group said.

"States simply cannot keep up with bridge maintenance," the report warns, adding that 73 percent of U.S. road traffic -- and 90 percent of truck traffic -- travels over state-owned bridges.

Nearly one in four bridges needs repairs, and the average age of America's bridges is 43 years -- seven years shy of the maximum age for which most are designed, according to the report, titled "Bridging the Gap."

One in five U.S. bridges is more than 50 years old, the report says.

"Almost one in four bridges, while safe to travel, is either structurally deficient, in need of repair, or ... too narrow for today's traffic volumes," the report from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said.

It was released days before the first anniversary of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which killed 13 people and injured 144.

The report identifies five main problems facing the nation's 590,000 bridges: age, congestion, soaring construction costs, lack of funds for maintenance and "the staggering costs of new bridges."

Rising oil prices have contributed to an increase of at least 50 percent in the price of steel, asphalt, concrete and earthwork over the past 2½ years, the report says, forcing repair delays.

"Thirty months of unprecedented construction inflation are forcing state officials to delay important bridge replacement projects," the report stated.

"Nearly every state faces funding shortages," it says, preventing them from doing work to "keep their bridges sound indefinitely."

The report says the country's bridges are safe, but it calls for investment, research and innovation, proper maintenance, public awareness and new financing options to keep them in good condition.

It identifies what it calls "a frustrating contradiction" -- better engineering, materials and construction techniques are available, but "without a national commitment to bridge investment," states cannot afford the improvements.

With billions needed to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan, we will likely be seeing more I-35Ws. The future isn't looking all too bright for the U.S, especially with the fact that people are not willing or able to pay higher taxes while keeping up the lifestyle they have.

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/us/0708/map.troubled.bridges/troubled.bridges.swf

 

[BurlyShirley]

Was watching the news the other night, and they were going on about how with gas prices were so high, people have begun really cutting back on their driving and buying of fuel, and as a result the govt's fuel tax revenues have begun to drop dramatically... like billions. And so now all these bridge projects and the like won't be getting the funding that they normally would have.
That's a story in itself of course, and smacking of irony, but it occurred to me as I was listening that Mccain had recently talked about cutting out the gas tax completely for a time to save people 10 cents on the gallon or something. I guess he doesn't want to fix the bridges and highways? Did he think of that, and is no one going to call him on it? Or, is it as I suspect, just another case of a "conservative" wanting to slash taxes to garner votes while still spending a ton of money we don't have. We cannot continue to be this irresponsible forever.

 

[Westy]

If we don't have bridges we can't drive therefore saving even more money on gas. It's brilliant.

There has been an old wrought iron bridge closed because of safety concerns nearby. It has been great for road rides. No cars on the road and I can still ride across the bridge, it is a very nice place to stop and take a break.

 

[ire]

I was listening that Mccain had recently talked about cutting out the gas tax completely for a time to save people 10 cents on the gallon or something. I guess he doesn't want to fix the bridges and highways?

We are on the other side now, with declining revenue they are talking about raising the gas tax (not McCain, but others in Congress). I'm in favor of a false bottom, that would help keep alternative fuels viable and we could use the extra money to payoff the huge debt our Country has

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/19/news/economy/gastax.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008071910