How Many More Bridges Are Deficient?
Filed Under: Freedom & Politics, Thriving
I’m sitting here watching the horror of the bridge collapse in Minnesota and wondering, “How many more bridges out there are structurally deficient?”
What will follow this disaster will be a series of “regulations” that will cost us - the taxpayers - more money.
If people would just do things right… Just do things right and not cut corners…
PHAT = Parenting, Homeschooling And Technology. That about sums up my life at the moment. 
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Sandy | Aug 3, 2007 | Reply
That was such a tragedy and I’ve had those questions even before this incident. Growing up in Upper Lower Michigan meant a few trips over the Mackinaw Bridge. Once when I visited my parents in our home town I finally experienced my first time driving over that gargantuan bridge…my knuckles turned white, sweat poured out of my forehead, and I was a nervous wreck, despite not driving on the grated side.
Hurricane Ivan took out the I-10 East Bound bridge here in Pensacola and they used temporary gratings to connect portions that were gone due to the hurricane. I thought the Mackinaw Bridge was terrifying but it was nothing compared to driving over water on a section of *bridge* that upon hitting it you see a car sliding warning sign. My heart raced, knuckles turned white…my husband made fun of me but I wasn’t laughing.
When I travel over any bridges that have water underneath I cannot help but think, “Should I roll my windows down in case it collapses or I get ran off the road, so that I can swim out?”
I’m a great driver, have never had an accident (well, other than backing into my hubby’s BMW in the driveway, lol) but bridges scare the daylights out of me…perhaps it has to do with the fact that I have an extreme phobia of heights.
carli | Aug 3, 2007 | Reply
I totally agree. State and local governments have adopted a “set it and forget it” policy when it comes to basic infrastructure, and it’s costing money, lives, and convenience. The steam pipe explosion in Midtown Manhattan. . . the water outage in my hometown. . . this terrible tragedy. . . all preventable.
Braden | Aug 3, 2007 | Reply
The recent tragedy in Minneapolis definitely hit a nerve with me. I won’t get into it here because it would take way too long to type it all out, so if you’re so inclined feel free to read (two posts, actually) it on my site.
I just don’t understand how the inspections/maintenance was let go for so long. That really flames my butt.
My heart goes out to those people and their loved ones who were lost because of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s neglect to do their job.
Although no lawsuit will ever bring back a loved one involved in a tragedy like this, you can be rest assured there will be a big lawsuit against Minnesota’s Department Of Transportation for this. This entire event could of been avoided, and it’s absolutely inexcusable it ever occurred.
shaun | Aug 3, 2007 | Reply
As someone who lives in the Twin Cities and has spent the last few days making sure everyone is OK (since we all drive that bridge all the time), I respectfully suggest that some of you are bringing your own biases to bear on an event and state government with which you are not at all familiar.
Given that our state government has been compelled to underfund transportation every year for the last several years because of our govs. famous “no new taxes” pledge, I am especially annoyed at the “bilk the taxpayers”/”must be corruption in the DoT” stuff. It would be just as easy and still unfair for me to start blaming the last few gubernatorial administrations and their obsession with tax rebates for the lack of funding — even easier since I live in the state capitol and read the city newspaper every day.
Please don’t use our tragedy as a launching pad.
riley | Aug 6, 2007 | Reply
Shaun,
I agree with you. I also live in the Twin Cities metro area and my husband and I both use that bridge. Nobody saw this coming - and nobody just decided to let an unstable bridge stand over the Mississippi (like the media would have us all believe). This was an accident, a horribly tragic accident. We know someone who lost a brother on that bridge - and even they say it was unforseeable - possibly preventable, but unforseeable.
Today I drove over a big bridge that spans the Mississippi (hwy 77) and I saw about 5-8 cars driving with one window rolled down - including myself.
Sandy | Aug 6, 2007 | Reply
Shaun and Riley…
I’m a member of a board that has a couple of people from the Twin Cities too and as soon as this happened they were talking about how there has been warnings about that bridge and its stabilities for years.
Sorry, I don’t see where anyone has said anything as a launching board for *your* tragedy. There are other people in *your* city who happen to agree that the city was negligent.
riley | Aug 6, 2007 | Reply
Sandy,
I think there is a difference between negligence and allowing people to believe that the city was corrupt or that somehow this was allowed to happen “on purpose.” That’s all I meant - and I certainly don’t claim this as “my” tragedy, but Minnesota is “my” state and I will be partly responsible (and willing) to help those affected by this situation.
shaun | Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
Sandy, I’m a little puzzled by the heat in your response. I don’t see in my post how I claimed this as my tragedy — but I did say that I don’t understand how people who don’t live in MN can claim to *know* — as the original post to which I was responding said — that “corners were cut” or that MNDot was neglectful. I do see that as people with an anti-gov. bias taking this situation as a launching pad for other issues. Same with the comment about how we’ll soon be seeing more regulations that taxpayers will have to pay for (which is confusing — if we don’t want cutting corners, don’t we need to pay?). Turning this into a anti-gov. regulation/anti-tax issue on the day of the event does not strike me as spirited public debate. To people involved, our tragedy is not just one more piece of evidence for your political views.