by Larry Lagarde

I-35W Bridge Collapse & Katrina: Signs of a Superpower's Weakness?

New Orleans and Minneapolis are two major American cities connected by the Mississippi River. Sadly, that connection is now even greater with the collapse Wednesday evening of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis.



Just as authorities have long been aware that the Interstate 35 West bridge over the Mississippi had structural problems, so too had authorities known of shoddy construction of the hurricane protection levees surrounding New Orleans. Both of these man-made catastrophes resulted in the death of American citizens.

Be it a hurricane protection levee or interstate bridge, when American taxpayers/voters authorize a federal building project, we expect that project to be built and maintained properly. According to a story published today in the Washington Post (Collapse Spotlights Weaknesses in U.S. Infrastructure), that's not happening.

At a time when every state department of transportation is attempting to meet a federal mandate to slash transportation projects, it is inappropriate for U.S. transportation secretary Mary Peters to urge every state to inspect all steel arch truss bridges immediately without providing dollars to pay for the work. Nor is it appropriate for President Bush to fly down to New Orleans 2 weeks after Hurricane Katrina, stand in front of St. Louis Cathedral and pledge ...

we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives

and ...

Federal funds will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems. Our goal is to get the work done quickly

and ...

When communities are rebuilt, they must be even better and stronger than before the storm.

... yet veto key programs and hamstring funds that would do so.

Ultimately, spending on most public works projects in the USA comes from politicians. New projects are equated with progress (the results are also easier for voters to see) so it's easier for politicians to support building something new rather than maintaining something already in place.

The United States is the world's great superpower. Until we as a nation pressure our leaders to be proactive with our public infrastructure and dedicate substantial resources to planning for future needs, Americans will continue to suffer needlessly from major, man-made catastrophes like these.

Tomorrow: America's Roads & Bridges - Key Facts

Labels: I35W-disaster