A Bridge Too Broken

The 35W bridge that fell in my hometowns (Twin Cities) is right near the Stone Arch Bridge, which is a new bridge that looks old, and the Cedar Avenue Bridge, which is about the same vintage as the one that collapsed, within a decade or so.

In those frightening moments last evening, at least 9 people died (and counting) and many more nearly died. Huge numbers were injured. And the bridge that fell, the one resting at the bottom of the river, is a bridge that was unsafe. It was unsafe for TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF INSPECTIONS.

The bridge that fell was a truss design, with the supports in the edges of the river, where current would be low, except during high water, flood conditions and storm surges. It was designed to last at least 50 years (refund anyone?) with normal traffic. Around here, traffic is equal to or worse than LA. There is no normal traffic, ever.

You can figure out if it was stress, poor maintenance, failure to address failing inspections, or just dumb bad luck.

Gov. Pawlenty (of Sen. McCain Campaign fame) is now saying that the bridge had a clean bill of health, all was well, and the collapse was never ever anticipated. That happens to be untrue, but What The H(eck).

You see, even as I write this, others are trying to rewrite history. To wit: Governor Pawlenty, who just this last legislative session vetoed a bill that would have provided $6 Billion for transportation and transit from dedicated auto sales tax receipts and a tax hike. That was money for road repair and to get more cars off the hellish roads we call the Interstates.

Of course, the failing grades of that very bridge during 2005 AND 2006 inspections were of no apparent matter as he vetoed that legislation. Yes, it did contain a tax increase that the public supported to the tune of more than 70 percent. When it gets to 70 percent, the feeling is mainstream, and the people want it.

After all, bridges don't fall, only political careers get dropped in the river and drowned. Right? Check http://www.attytood.com/2007/08/memo_bridge_failure_determined.html from Attytood. Yeah, I can hear it now. I'm just a bleeding heart liberal, beating on about drowned citizen. Don't even think of replying with an insult related to my views on our misplaced spending priorities.

We cannot hear the cries of those that drowned. Their voices cannot rise from the murk that is our beloved part of the Big Muddy. They cannot escape their watery graves to cry out that we are totally missing the fact that there are something in the neighborhood of 60,000 bridges that aren't safe and for which there will be no infrastructure funding for repairs.

We gotta run a war after all.

We gotta keep the money flowing where it can be seen, 'cuz so one actually cares about stuff you can't see, after all. Like bridge supports. And sewer pipes. And drinking water systems.

The state governor, Tim Pawlenty, said: "Obviously, this is a catastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota."

The US president, George Bush, pledged help. "We in the federal government must respond, and respond robustly, to help the people there not only recover, but to make sure that lifeline of activity - that bridge - gets rebuilt as quickly as possible," he said in Washington.

Mr Pawlenty said the Minnesota department of transportation had inspected the 40-year-old bridge in 2005 and 2006, finding no structural problems. "There were some minor things that needed attention," he added.

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2140291,00.html

But hey, I'm not angry that there are multiple cars stacked on multiple cars at the bottom of the Mississippi in an area of the most treacherous currents in the Twin Cities BECAUSE A FREAKING BRIDGE COLLAPSED THAT WAS ALREADY LABELLED AS UNSAFE TWO FREAKING YEARS AGO!!!

AND ONE YEAR AGO!!!

Phew, that feels better.

BTW, go give a pint of blood, no matter where you are. It's summer and the stocks of the real elixer of life are running dangerously low everywhere. Contact your local hospital or Red Cross for further information.

Be well, safe and don't drive on unsafe bridges. Please.

And tell someone, tell everyone that will listen. Tell them this. We need to fix that which is about to break. It's going to take money. It needs to be done now. The Wars aren't the only things that can do us in. Losing lives, losing treasure because we sent the money to buy bombs and bombers has gotten us a broken bridge in Minnesota and too many broken hearts.

We can't bring back those that died. We cannot magically correct and heal the injuries inflicted yesterday. But, we can and we must, work to prevent another person drowning, another family torn asunder through injury or death that was preventable if we'd only repaired what needed fixing before it was too broken.

It's one bridge too broken in Minnesota. It's not to late for the rest of the 60,000 bridges that need repair. Yet.