Thousand of Bridges at Risk of Freak Collapse

[unhappycamper]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/thousands-bridges-risk-freak-collapse-19256103


Thousand of Bridges at Risk of Freak Collapse
By MIKE BAKER and JOAN LOWY Associated Press
SEATTLE May 25, 2013 (AP)

Thousands of bridges around the U.S. may be one freak accident or mistake away from collapse, even if the spans are deemed structurally sound.

~snip~

Public officials have focused in recent years on the desperate need for money to repair thousands of bridges deemed structurally deficient, which typically means a major portion of the bridge is in poor condition or worse. But the bridge that collapsed Thursday is not in that deficient category, highlighting another major problem with the nation's infrastructure: Although it's rare, some bridges deemed to be fine structurally can still be crippled if they are struck hard enough in the wrong spot.

~snip~

"Today, they're still building fracture critical bridges with the belief that they're not going break," Rosenker said.

Fracture critical bridges, like the I-5 span in Washington, are the result of Congress trying to cut corners to save money rather than a lack of engineering know-how, said Barry B. LePatner, a New York real estate attorney and author of "Too Big to Fall: America's Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward."



unhappycamper comment: If we don't have the money to fix our critical infrastructure, I'd suggest looking into the single largest money pit in our non-discretionary National Budget.

[fasttense]

1. Wow, what a load of our wealth and tax dollars spent on the military.

Too bad it all results in wars and death.

[Voice for Peace]

2. *like this post*