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OT: Minneapolis Bridge
glynor:
--- Quote from: Yaobing on August 02, 2007, 08:48:43 am ---This morning, as I told the story of Minneapolis bridge, our nanny's reaction was: "This happens in the US too?!".
We are used to hearing about bridge/building collapses in China, where, due to greed of contractors and corruption of officials, many infrastructures are constructed with subclass materials and work.
--- End quote ---
Those problems are certainly not limited only to old structures, or to China.
hit_ny:
Shocking news :o
..reports say the bridge was checked in previous years and some signs of structural fatigue were present but there was no cracking...
Conclusion being, not an immediate threat at all, maybe this incident will be a wake-up call.
tunetyme:
I am glad to hear that everyone at JRiver is OK. I agree that our infrastructure is suffering from 2 and 3 times the weight and traffic loads that they were designed for. The real tragedy is that we all pay into a Federal trust fund when we buy gas. Why this isn't being used to upgrade the Interstate system is inexcusable. This isn't the first bridge to collapse.
Tunetyme
KingSparta:
--- Quote ---Why this isn't being used to upgrade the Interstate system is inexcusable.
--- End quote ---
What happens is the state and federal taxes collected are siphoned off into other pet projects that our legislators want to spend money on to line the pockets of there friends and relatives.
PeterS:
I drove across that bridge yesterday lunchtime and remember being a little annoyed by the construction that was going on. I am thankful that I am still here, and my thoughts go out to the families of those who did not come home last night.
A friend of mine, who is a Minneapolis firefighter, reminded me that we should be grateful for the things we have and the important people in our lives because, in the blink of an eye, it could all be gone.
The local paper ran this article today. It raises some interesting questions about responsibility and local government spending.
http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1339911.html
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