August 3, 200717 yr A few years ago I had a coworker tell me that the I-71 bridge near KI is on it's last leg.. His buddy is an engineer with ODOT. He and his family take the long way around (Ft Ancient bridge) to avoid crossing that bridge. :-o That bridge was scary before ever knowing that. There's nothing worse than being in a truck's blind spot on that thing. I forget what the inspection said on the bridge exactly, but it was somewhere in the middle between being in perfect condition and falling into the valley. Actually, I think the number was a little closer to the latter.
August 4, 200717 yr The FHWA has a table linked from their home page with the List of Fracture Critical Steel Deck Truss Bridges. Guess which state has the highest number (you only get one guess). TOTAL FRACTURE CRITICAL STEEL DECK TRUSS BRIDGES: 756 State Number Alabama 18 Alaska 7 Arizona 8 Arkansas 11 California 59 Colorado 6 Connecticut 6 Delaware 2 District of Columbia 0 Florida 1 Georgia 2 Hawaii 5 Idaho 4 Illinois 7 Indiana 10 Iowa 9 Kansas 15 Kentucky 11 Louisiana 3 Maine 6 Maryland 10 Massachusetts 19 Michigan 14 Minnesota 6 Mississippi 4 Missouri 8 Montana 11 Nebraska 4 Nevada 2 New Hampshire 3 New Jersey 8 New Mexico 7 New York 33 North Carolina 2 North Dakota 0 Ohio 187 Oklahoma 14 Oregon 38 Pennsylvania 47 Rhode Island 0 South Carolina 1 South Dakota 6 Tennessee 7 Texas 25 Utah 3 Vermont 8 Virginia 13 Washington State 32 West Virginia 31 Wisconsin 15 Wyoming 3 Puerto Rico 5 And here they are: Inventory of Fracture Critical Steel Deck Truss Bridges State Structure Number Location Crossing OHIO CENORHOH3093708 SERVICE BRIDGE INTAKE STRUCTURE OHIO CENORHOH3093717 SERVICE BRIDGE INTAKE STRUCTURE OHIO 0430722 LAKE ROAD WHEELER CREEK OHIO 0430765 BROWN ROAD GRIGGS CREEK OHIO 0431206 S. DENMARK ROAD MILLS CREEK OHIO 0431478 MANN ROAD PYMATUNING CREEK OHIO 0431753 MILL CREEK RD. MILL CREEK OHIO 0432229 MONTGOMERY RD. GRAND RIVER OHIO 0432350 CLAY ROAD MILL CREEK OHIO 0432695 HILDOM ROAD ASHTABULA RIVER OHIO 0432733 BECKWITH ROAD ASHTABULA RIVER OHIO 0433039 GRAHAM ROAD ASHTABULA RIVER OHIO 0433101 CAINE ROAD ASHTABULA RIVER OHIO 0433144 GREEN HILL ROAD ASHTABULA RIVER OHIO 0433284 OLD PLANK ROAD GRAND RIVER OHIO 0433349 UNDERWOOD ROAD PYMATUNING CREEK OHIO 0433691 RUNKLE AVENUE HUBBARD RUN OHIO 7700369 SR 8 & SR 59 NORTH ST-RRS- L. CUY RIV OHIO 8830843 CR 9 SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8831408 SYCAMORE CREEK SYCAMORE CREEK OHIO 8831688 NO DATA SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8833931 TR 37TA SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8835004 TH44 TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8835926 TWP HWY 49 TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8836639 NO DATA BROKEN SWORD CREEK OHIO 8837031 NO DATA BROKEN SWORD CREEK OHIO 8837384 NO DATA BROKEN SWORD OHIO 8837651 NO DATA TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8838380 TH71 TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8841152 TWP HWY 96 TYMCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8841551 TWP. HWY. 97 TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8842175 TH100A SPRING RUN OHIO 8843260 NO DATA LITTLE TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8843333 TWP HWY 106 TYMOCHTEE CREEK OHIO 8843341 TH106C SPRING RUN OHIO 8845840 TWP HWY 124 SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8846138 NO DATA CRANBERRY RUN OHIO 8846588 CO HWY 128 SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8847002 TH127 SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8847428 CH134B KISER RUN OHIO 8847762 NO DATA SANDUSKY RIVER OHIO 8860173 MILLER STREET SYCAMORE CREEK OHIO 8302251 IR 71 ACC DR;LIT MIAMI R;BKWAY OHIO 8302286 IR71 ACC DR;LIT MIAMI;BIKEWAY OHIO 8403783 S.R. 124 LITTLE HOCKING RIVER OHIO 1803301 US 42 TRAIN AV FLATS IND RR OHIO 2300427 US 22 CONRAIL RR & LIT RUSH CR OHIO 2334224 HEIGLE ROAD SW SALT CR (HEIGLE ROAD SW) OHIO 2340208 RUSHVILLE RD NE RUSH CR & CONRAIL (CR 77 OHIO 1131117 CLARK ROAD KINGSCREEK OHIO 1809393 I-90 CUY. RIV VALLEY-RTA45 OHIO 2931052 OLD WINCHESTER RD ANDERSON FORK OHIO 3103390 COLUMBIA PARKWAY COLUMBIA PARKWAY OHIO 1536915 WILLARD RD 843 PENN RR OHIO 0930288 ELK CREEK RD ELK CREEK BRANCH OHIO 0930520 RIALTO RD STREAM OHIO 0930598 RIVER RD STREAM OHIO 0930644 ROSS HANOVER RD INDIAN CREEK BRANCH OHIO 0930709 SOMERVILLE RD BRANCH OF HARKERS RUN OHIO 0930768 SOMERVILLE RD WILLIAMS RUN OHIO 0931098 BAKER RD WILLIAMS RUN OHIO 0931284 BLACK RD BRANCH OF LICK RUN OHIO 0931306 BONHAM RD TALAWANDA CREEK OHIO 0931322 BONHAM RD HARKERS RUN OHIO 0932183 HAM NEW LONDON RD INDIAN CREEK OHIO 0932485 INDIAN CREEK RD INDIAN CREEK OHIO 0932671 LAYHIGH RD DRY RUN OHIO 0932809 MAUD HUGHES RD GREGORY CREEK OHIO 0932868 MEYERS RD BROWNS RUN OHIO 0932892 SOUTH WEAVER RD KIATA CREEK BRANCH OHIO 0933090 MORGAN ROSS RD PADDYS RUN OHIO 0933147 MORGANTHALER RD COTTON RUN OHIO 0933430 RACE LANE DRY FORK CREEK OHIO 0933597 SCOTT RD DARRS RUN OHIO 0933643 SLOEBIG RD BROWNS RUN OHIO 0933910 STREBEE RD ELK CREEK BRANCH OHIO 0935735 BUCKLEY ROAD TALAWANDA CREEK OHIO 1800035 SR 2 (1476)CUY RIVER RTA FLAT OHIO 1801503 SR 10 CUY RIVER VALLEY & FI RR OHIO 2830752 TR-183 GEAUGA LAKE AURORA BR CHAGRIN RIVER OHIO 3631559 COUNTY RD #55 DODSON CREEK OHIO 3631761 COUNTY RD.#70 TURTLE CREEK OHIO 3632008 TOWNSHIP RD. 118 DODSON CREEK OHIO 3632342 TOWNSHIP RD.194 BRUSH CREEK OHIO 3632482 COUNTYRD#43 NORTH FORK WHITEOAK CREE OHIO 3632601 TOWNSHIP RD 239 BAKER FORK OHIO 7730306 N MAIN STREET CUYAHOGA RIVER OHIO 7849923 BELMONT ST-NILES MAHONING RIVER OHIO 7030568 ROME SOUTH RD. BLACK FORK MOHICAN RIVER OHIO 7031300 PLY-SPRINGMILL RD. BLACK FORK MOHICAN RIVER OHIO 7031432 BELLVILLE JOHNSVLL CEDAR CREEK OHIO 7032730 EBY RD. BRUBAKER CREEK OHIO 4304950 I-90 GRAND RIVER @ MP 209.5 OHIO 4304985 CLOSED GRAND RIVER @ MP 209.5 OHIO 7035969 SMILEY AVE BLACK FORK RIVER OHIO 4460014 NORTH 2ND STREET N & W RAILROAD OHIO 7337620 WHEELERS MILL ROAD WHEELERS MILL (LSR) OHIO 7338279 TATMAN COE ROAD TATMAN-COE (SCIOTO BR CR OHIO 7338562 JR FURNACE-PWLSVL JR FURNACE-PWLS (PINE CR OHIO 5233372 CH 16-SEVILLE RD. RIVER STYX OHIO 5233658 RD27-RIVER CORNERS EAST BRANCH BLACK RIVER OHIO 5233747 RD 29-CONGRESS RD BR OF E BR BLACK RIVER OHIO 5233976 RD 37 - REMSEN RD. BR OF WEST BR OF ROCKY R OHIO 5234247 RD49-RIVER STYX RD BR OF W BR ROCKY RIVER OHIO 5234263 RD49-RIVER STYX RD E BR ROCKY RIVER OHIO 5234298 RD50-CHIPPEWA RD. CHIPPEWA INLET OHIO 5243416 CH 19 - LAKE RD. CHIPPEWA LAKE OUTLET OHIO 6130127 COUNTY ROAD 40 DUCK CREEK OHIO 6130194 CR 75 BIG RUN OHIO 6130259 CR 7 KEITH FORK OHIO 6130437 COUNTY ROAD 40 DUCK CREEK OHIO 6130526 C.R.11 WEST FORK DUCK CREEK OHIO 6130542 TR199 WILLS CREEK OHIO 6232094 NO DATA TURTLE CREEK OHIO 5432367 PURDY ROAD LITTLE BLACKCREEK OHIO 5433509 HASIS ROAD BLIERDOFER DITCH OHIO 5437601 FRYSINGER ROAD ST MARYS RIVER ' OHIO 5438098 TOWNSHIP-LINE ROAD ST MARYS RIVER ' OHIO 6241301 COUNTY ROAD 36 AT LITTLE PORAGE RIVER OHIO 5443520 FRAHM PIKE TWELVE MILE CREEK OHIO 5446228 MEYER ROAD BEAVER CREEK OHIO 5450276 WABASH ROAD WABASH RIVER OHIO 5452848 CLUNE STUCKE ROAD MILE CREEK OHIO 5453577 ST PETER ROAD WABASH RIVER OHIO 5454697 PALMER ROAD ST MARYS RIVER OHIO 5455022 PARK ROAD WABASH RIVER OHIO 5458730 SCHROEDER ROAD WABASH RIVER OHIO 5459850 WABASH ROAD WABASH RIVER OHIO 5459990 ST ANTHONY ROAD WABASH RIVER OHIO 7330545 WH GRAVEL MCDANIEL WH GRVL-MCDAN (LTL SCIOT OHIO 7330979 DUCK RUN ROAD DUCK RUN ROAD (DUCK RUN) OHIO 7331142 ROCKY FORK ROAD ROCKY FORK (SOUTH FORK B OHIO 7331150 HENLEY DEEMER RD HENLEY-DEEMER (MCCULL CR OHIO 7331169 NO DATA HENLEY DEEMER OHIO 7331568 STOCKHAM ROAD STOCKHAM RD (LTL SCIOTO) OHIO 7331835 KY TRAIL-HAINES RD KY TRAIL (LTL SCIOTO RVR OHIO 7332408 NO DATA RARDEN-HAZELBAKER(BRSH C OHIO 7332785 NO DATA LAUREL FORK RD (DRY RUN) OHIO 7334079 DEVER ROAD DEVER RD (ROCKY FORK CR) OHIO 7334133 SULPHUR SPRINGS RD SULPHUR SPRINGS (LS RIVE OHIO 7334400 NO DATA DISTERDICK LANE (PINE CR OHIO 7334702 NO DATA MONROE ROAD OHIO 7334788 NO DATA KNAPP ROAD OHIO 7335032 NO DATA SWORD ROAD OHIO 7335199 NO DATA EDMUNDS ROAD OHIO 4733797 BURSLEY RD. W.B.BLACK RV BURSLEY RD OHIO 4733886 BURSLEY RD. CHARLEMONT CK BURSLEY RD OHIO 4734653 CROOK ST. BLACK RIVER CROOK ST. OHIO 4735102 FOLEY RD. PLUM CREEK FOLEY RD. OHIO 4735293 FULLER RD. E.BR.BLACK RV FULLER R OHIO 4735536 GORE ORPHANAGE W.B.BLACK RV GORE ORPHA OHIO 4735749 GORE ORPHANAGE VERMILION RV GORE ORPH R OHIO 4736303 HAWLEY RD. WELLINGTON CR HAWLEY RD OHIO 4736397 HUGHES RD. W.B.BLACK RV HUGHES RD OHIO 4736834 JONES RD. CHARLEMONT CR JONES RD OHIO 4736966 JONES RD. E.B.BLACK RV JONES RD. OHIO 4738047 NORTH RIDGE RD. VERMILION RV N.RIDGE RD OHIO 4738365 OSBORNE RD. PLUM CREEK OSBORNE RD. OHIO 4738411 PARSONS RD. BLACK RIVER PARSONS RD OHIO 4738489 PARSONS RD. KELNER DT PARSONS RD. OHIO 4738527 PARSONS RD. BLACK RIVER PARSONS RD. OHIO 4738802 PECK WADSWORTH WELLINGTON CR P.WADSWORT OHIO 4738829 PITTS RD. CHARLEMONT CR PITTS RD OHIO 4739264 QUARRY RD. BLACK RIVER QUARRY RD. OHIO 4741234 WHITNEY RD. W.B.BLACK RV WHITNEY RD OHIO 5631076 NO DATA SUNFISH CREEK OHIO 5631467 CR 27 SUNFISH CREEK OHIO 5631866 CR 9 WITTEN FORK OHIO 5632501 NO DATA CRANENEST FORK OHIO 5632706 NO DATA LITTLE MUSKINGUM RIVER OHIO 5632854 NO DATA CLEAR FORK OHIO 5632919 COUNTY ROAD 68 STRAIGHT FORK OHIO 5633001 NO DATA WITTEN RUN OHIO 5633257 CR 138 LITTLE MUSKINGUM RIVER OHIO 5633508 NO DATA LITTLE MUSKINGUM RIVER OHIO 5633656 NO DATA SOUTH FORK OHIO 5634156 NO DATA SUNFISH CREEK OHIO 5634601 NO DATA CLEAR FORK OHIO 5634709 NO DATA CLEAR FORK OHIO 5634954 NO DATA LITTLE MUSKINGUM RIVER OHIO 5635101 NO DATA LITTLE MUSKINGUM RIVER OHIO 5635209 TR 2706 STRAIGHT FORK OHIO 6830072 PRICE RD PRICES CREEK OHIO 6832377 BRUBAKER RD; SAMS CREEK OHIO 5738474 TOWNSHIP ROAD 58 FORT ANTHONY TWIN OV CK OHIO 5740762 TOWNSHIP ROAD 42 FORNEY RD OV BEAR CREEK OHIO 6836399 CONC. FAIRHAVEN RD FOUR MILE CREEK
August 4, 200717 yr NUMBER UNCLEAR Ohio will check its old-style bridges Saturday, August 4, 2007 3:29 AM By James Nash and Randy Ludlow THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohio inspectors are giving renewed attention to the dozens of bridges across the state whose design resembles that of the Minnesota bridge that collapsed Wednesday At issue are under-deck truss bridges, a largely obsolete design that is more likely to completely break apart when one section fails. Modern bridges typically include redundant features that hold up a bridge even when parts give out. Full story at: http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/04/BADONES.ART_ART_08-04-07_A1_R47HB4A.html
August 4, 200717 yr Probably the state, but what does it matter? We still have a lot of these bridges and that's not good.
August 5, 200717 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070805/NEWS01/70805018/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published August 5, 2007 Collapse stirs memories of Ohio River tragedy Fall of Silver Bridge left 46 dead in 1967 By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER The collapse Wednesday night of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis brought back vivid memories of a southern Ohio bridge tragedy 40 years ago for E.V. Clarke, and not just because of similar route numbers. Mr. Clarke, now 76, who crossed the Ohio River twice each day to commute to work at a plastics plant in West Virginia, estimates he had been off the U.S. 35 Silver Bridge for less than a minute when it suddenly dropped into the river, taking two dozen cars and trucks into the water and another seven onto the Ohio shore below. “When I saw that thing in Minnesota, it all came back immediately,” Mr. Clarke said Friday. “That bridge was built the same year ours fell, and it had the same number, 35. It certainly shook me up and brought me back.” Full story at link above:
August 6, 200717 yr Probably the state, but what does it matter? We still have a lot of these bridges and that's not good. That all depends on how you look at it. If our politicians do thier jobs here, this is a huge opportunity to bring loads of federal dollars into the state through inspection programs and bridge rebuilds. Lots of jobs! Also, I heard the Town St. Bridge in downtown Columbus got a ranking in the 20's! eeesh. It's actually to the point where you can see more rebar than concrete. :-o
August 7, 200717 yr Gas tax did little for bridges 6-cent boost eaten by higher costs, ODOT says Tuesday, August 7, 2007 3:29 AM By James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohioans have been paying 6 cents per gallon more in gasoline taxes since 2005, but little of the money has been used to strengthen the state's bridges. And there's no guarantee that even the money allocated for bridges will wind up fixing the most dangerous ones. Of the estimated $539 million generated annually from the gas tax increase, less than $40 million a year has gone toward inspecting, repairing and replacing Ohio bridges. Full story at: http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/07/BRIDGEMONEY.ART_ART_08-07-07_B1_FG7I1MT.html ********************************* August 7, 2007 Bridge Collapse Revives Issue of Road Spending By SUSAN SAULNY and JENNIFER STEINHAUER New York Times MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 6 — In the past two years, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state’s gas tax to pay for transportation needs. Now, with at least five people dead in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge here, Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican, appears to have had a change of heart. “He’s open to that,” Brian McClung, a spokesman for the governor, said Monday of a higher gas tax. “He believes we need to do everything we can to address this situation and the extraordinary costs.” Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/us/07highway.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=print
August 8, 200717 yr ^ I can't think of which bridge is Route 42 in Cuyahoga County. Unless they mean the Brooklyn-Brighton Bridge by the Zoo?
August 8, 200717 yr Are the Dead From the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Victims of Conservative Ideology?[/b] By Joshua Holland, AlterNet Posted on August 3, 2007, Printed on August 8, 2007 http://www.alternet.org/story/58716/ The tragic collapse this week of a stretch of I-35 spanning the Mississippi river in Minnesota was shocking but should come as no surprise. America's core infrastrucure has been falling apart in very visible ways during the past few years. It's a predictable outcome of the rise of "backlash" conservatism; we've swallowed 30 years of small-government rhetoric, and it's led us to a point in which our infrastructure, once the pride of the developed world, is falling apart around us. We're reaping what we've sown. Minnesota's Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, reacted to the disaster by calling a press conference and, with a steely determination worthy of Rudy Guiliani, lying to the American people. Pawlenty insisted that inspections in 2005 and 2006 had found no structural problems with the bridge. But the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that the bridge "was rated as 'structurally deficient' two years ago and possibly in need of replacement." The bridge was borderline -- with a 50 sufficiency rating; if a bridge scores less than 50, it needs to be replaced. According to the Pioneer Press, the bridge's suspension system was supposed to receive extra attention with inspections every two years, but the last one had been performed in 2003. View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/58716/
August 8, 200717 yr A ridiculous, fear-generating article...the "Boston Tunnel" is a mere 3 or 4 years old, and cities such as Boston and Atlanta have been the scene of massive highway reconstruction and expansion in the past ten years, and nearly every metro has some sort of major bridge and highway reconstruction every decade if not two or three. There are dozens of major projects happening all the time in any of the most populous states. And of course percentage-wise the federal government spends much more on social welfare programs than the military and much more than infrastructure.
August 8, 200717 yr USDOT: U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs Washington, D.C. www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm DOT 79-07 Contact: Sarah Echols Wednesday, August 8, 2007 Phone: (202) 366-4570 U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters Cautions States to Carefully Consider Extra Weight Caused by Construction Projects on Bridges WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today cautioned states to carefully consider the additional weight placed on bridges during construction or repair projects. Though it has not yet indicated any definitive cause of the Minneapolis I-35W collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has indicated that the stress on the gusset plates may have been a factor, and that one possible stress may be the weight of construction equipment and materials on the bridge. "Given the questions being raised by the NTSB, it is vital that states remain mindful of the extra weight construction projects place on bridges," Secretary Peters said. The Secretary has pledged to quickly share with states any information learned from the NTSB investigation. Secretary Peters added that she has directed the Federal Highway Administration to continue to work closely with the NTSB investigators to identify any broader design issues that need to be addressed relating to gusset plates on the I-35W bridge. The Secretary directed the Federal Highway Administration to issue guidance to all state transportation agencies and bridge owners strongly advising they ensure that the weight of construction equipment and stockpiled raw materials in place for current or future construction work not exceed the load limit for the bridge. # # #
August 9, 200717 yr A ridiculous, fear-generating article...the "Boston Tunnel" is a mere 3 or 4 years old, and cities such as Boston and Atlanta have been the scene of massive highway reconstruction and expansion in the past ten years, and nearly every metro has some sort of major bridge and highway reconstruction every decade if not two or three. There are dozens of major projects happening all the time in any of the most populous states. And of course percentage-wise the federal government spends much more on social welfare programs than the military and much more than infrastructure. Not at all ridiculous. The "no new taxes" argument has been used successfully by so-called budget hawks and fiscal conservatives to knock down rail and transit projects. "Think tank" brains like Wendell Cox (read my earlier post) have insisted that rail and transit projects shouldn't be subsidized with taxpayer dollars. And now Mr. Holland points out that even when legitimate highway projects are put before leaders like Governor Pawlenty, the same illogic is applied in order to appease his perceived conservative base. I think Holland is over-the-top in his headline, but he raises some good points and I think he even hints at a strategy for those advocating better and more efficient transportation systems that these are essential transportation investments. It is hypocritical for polticians to have put such heavy subsidies into highways (often at the expense of rail & transit projects that can move more people and freight faster and better) and yet they won't even support funding the upkeep of the infrastructure they origianlly voted to support with taxpayer $$$.
August 9, 200717 yr I think the Holland opinion piece is outstanding and right on point. This is a nation which no longer accepts its fiscal responsibility that infrastructure is an ongoing priority for the nation. If we did believe it, the federal highway trust fund would not be months away from insolvency. Congress hasn't raised gas taxes in 14 years, or at least indexing it to inflation. Yet we want increasingly wider highways that produce increasingly lesser yields in gas tax revenue while exponentially increasing maintenance costs. I wish I could say this practice was unique to infrastructure, but government is borrowing from our children across the board because it's unwilling to ask us to pay the tab today. Of course it's not painless. But if they lay out a vision, a sound and sustainable fiscal strategy, and show its tremendous economic payback to the nation in productivity and jobs, I believe the public will support it. Sadly, too many of our elected officials lack the vision and leadership to communicate that message. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 9, 200717 yr KJP and Noozer, I agree. To steal a phrase from James Howard Kunstler: Americans have come to believe that we can have something for nothing. We want both tax cuts and public services-- freeways, parks, lower college tuition, etc. We don't think sewer and water rates should ever have to rise. The list goes on. Well, we can't have it both ways. Granted, our coin-operated political system has resulted in corporations getting their tax burdens reduced while they've also gotten more corporate welfare at the expense of individual tax payers, but even if that's taken into account, we're still so far behind the 8-ball with the state of our infrastructure that either we all start paying more or our infrastructure continues to crumble and it eventually takes jobs and the economy down with it. The deferred maintenance bill just for what we have now is $1.6 trillion and mounting. You get what you pay for.
August 10, 200717 yr KJP, Noozer, Gildone -- well put. And of course percentage-wise the federal government spends much more on social welfare programs than the military and much more than infrastructure. To back up jmecklenborg's statement, I looked in the back of an old 1040 instruction booklet that I had lying around. It oversimplifies government expenditures by a lot, but here is a summary for fiscal year 2005: Social security, medicare, and other retirement: 37% National defense, veterans, foreign affairs: 24% Social programs 20% Physical, human, and community development 10% (includes infrastructure) Interest on national debt 7% Law enforcement and general government 2% Including SS, medicare and other retirement, plus law enforcement, community development, and social programs as "social welfare," we generously provide about 57% to 69% of our expenditures on improving the welfare of society, something less than 24% on the military, and less than 10% on infrastructure. Whether all of the money is well spent is without doubt. And, while I have it out, here's the income side: Personal Income taxes 38% Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment, retirement taxes 32% (not as large a percentage as the payout but doesn't give actual numbers so no way to compare) Borrowing to cover deficit 13% !!! Yikes. Corporate taxes 11% Excise, customs, estate, gift & misc. taxes 6% The world loans us 13% of our income and only requires 7% of our expenditures for the interest. Those are good drugs, eh?
August 10, 200717 yr August 10, 2007 Bush Rejects Gas Tax as Way to Shore Up Bridges By JIM RUTENBERG New York Times WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 — President Bush spoke out Thursday against increasing the gasoline tax, an idea being discussed as a potential part of a new Congressional plan to shore up the nation’s bridges after the deadly collapse in Minneapolis. In his last major news conference before his summer vacation, Mr. Bush also criticized Democrats in Congress more generally, questioning their priorities and motives on topics like economic policy and their perjury accusations against Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. Asked about the gasoline proposal, which could amount to an increase of 5 cents a gallon under schemes floating around Congress, Mr. Bush said, “Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities.” Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/washington/10bush.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1186750823-9NGaIgBZ64KJbkm1VTbTRg
August 12, 200717 yr 'Poor' bridges dot Ohio River 3 of 4 owned by state deficient; one gets brittle in frigid weather Sunday, August 12, 2007 3:48 AM By Randy Ludlow THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH When the worst of winter shrouds southern Ohio, motorists in Ironton should watch their thermometers. If the temperature falls to 5 below zero, the cantilever bridge over the Ohio River to Russell, Ky., will be closed. The steel of the 85-year-old bridge becomes so brittle in bitter cold that engineers fear it could fracture, raising the specter of the span toppling. Of the 35 Ohio River bridges connecting the Buckeye State to Kentucky and West Virginia, seven are rated structurally deficient. Full story at: http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/12/river_bridges.ART_ART_08-12-07_A1_727JBG1.html Link to large format graphic with greater detail:http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/08/12/crossingohio.html
August 14, 200717 yr Bridge nearly finished The Parkersburg News or Sentinel, August 14, 2007 The new Corridor D span over the Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island is on track to be completed in November. The $119.9 million project is the largest, single highway contract in the state's history. The 4,009 ft. span will complete the four-lane upgrade of U.S. 50 from Clarksburg to the Ohio state line. It was one of the original 23 Appalachian corridors selected in 1965 under the Appalachian Development Highway System. The bridge is the final piece, a joint venture from the West Virginia Division of Highways and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
August 21, 200717 yr Staring into the maw of the incredibly involved 161/I-270 construction mess this past Sunday, I couldn't help but think that resources were being diverted that might have been spent tending to aging infrastructure. Another glorious consequence of sprawl. http://www.dot.state.oh.us/161next/gallery.htm
August 21, 200717 yr ^Considering how much of the Columbus economy he controls, I'd say he's a high-value asset.
September 11, 200717 yr Buses banned on Roebling BY MARGARET A. MCGURK | [email protected] The popular Southbank Shuttle is among 23 TANK routes that will no longer use the Roebling Suspension Bridge to cross the Ohio River after Kentucky officials cut the weight limit on the historic span. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced today that the maximum weight of any vehicle crossing the bridge will be cut in half, from 22 tons to 11 tons, to avoid structural damage. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/NEWS01/309110051
September 14, 200717 yr Bridge process pushed By Mark Shaffer, The Ironton Tribune, September 14, 2007 ODOT representatives met with the Ironton City Council Thursday night and indicated that Governor Ted Strickland has instructed the department to find a way to replace the Ironton-Russell Bridge sooner. ODOT is currently exploring options to have the bridge replaced before the previously announced date of 2013, which was the earliest the replacement process would have begun.
September 17, 200717 yr Stop lights coming to I-74 BY MARGARET A. MCGURK | [email protected] http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070917/NEWS01/709170345/1056/NEWS0103
November 4, 200717 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071104/NEWS11/711040346/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published November 4, 2007 Residents cheer progress on new U.S. 24 By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER ANTWERP, Ohio - Building the new U.S. 24 across northern Paulding County has cost Kenneth Musselman an acre of his land and two of his neighbors and will bring traffic noise a lot closer to his Crane Township home. But he still views the construction positively. "You can't stop progress, and that [existing] 24, I was scared to drive on it," Mr. Musselman said while gazing across the construction site that stretches perhaps a quarter-mile from his house on Township Road 87. "You hate seeing all this farmland tore up for roads, but that road over there is really bad." A few miles away in Harrison Township, the road in front of Elizabeth and George Hedrick's house has been temporarily resurfaced with crushed stone because of damage from heavy construction vehicles, and cars get coated with dust, but the couple say the result will be worth it. "I'm certainly glad to see it finally come to fruition," Mr. Hedrick said. "We've been wait-ing a long time for this. I've commuted to Defiance on that road for 35 years. You almost take your life into your hands every time you drive it, especially in the evenings." And in Antwerp, where truck traffic chokes the main drag at all hours of the day, the bulldozers, graders, and other heavy equipment used for building the new freeway near the village's southern edge culminate decades of campaigning for a better road between Fort Wayne, Ind., and Toledo. "I'm glad to see it happening in my lifetime," said Marilyn Provines, president of the Antwerp Chamber of Commerce and owner of Marilyn's Petals and Vines, a local florist shop. "We've talked about it for so long. It's hard to get around right now, but it'll be worth it when it's done," Ms. Provines said. A lengthy project To at least some degree, planning for a new U.S. 24 has been in the works since the 1960s, when four-lane bypasses were built around those cities and the section between them was relocated to a straight route across the countryside. But for about four decades, until April, 2006, that was as far as construction got. The right-of-way for two more lanes between Napoleon and Defiance, though fenced off from neighboring property, remained under cultivation, and to the east and west of those two cities, U.S. 24 stayed on its traditional, twisting path along the Maumee River. ODOT expects to spend $471 million to complete four-lane U.S. 24 between Waterville and the Ohio-Indiana border. Work began in early 2006 on a relatively short, three-mile stretch on the west side of Defiance, its $36.7 million contract price driven primarily by bridges over the Maumee and Tiffin rivers. Construction assumed a much larger scale this year, when state contractors began building U.S. 24 along its new route between the west side of Defiance and the Indiana border and widening it along the right-of-way set aside 40 years ago east of that city. By last week, crews had paved all of the new westbound lanes between Napoleon and Defiance except for a short stretch near Jewell, Ohio, and an interchange replacing the intersection at State Rt. 281/Domersville Road was nearly complete. Rhonda Pees, an ODOT spokesman at the Lima district office, said the interchange is expected to open by month's end, if not by Thanksgiving, while traffic should be shifted over to the future westbound lanes between Defiance and Napoleon by New Year's, after which the existing lanes' reconstruction will start. The Defiance-Napoleon phase is scheduled for completion in early 2009. The stretch west of Defiance will take longer into 2009, as it requires grading and embankment building before road construction starts. But by last week, the contractors' progress on that earthwork was enough for Mr. Musselman to call it "amazing" and "unbelievable" - and enough for some of his neighbors, he said, to go four-wheeling on it. "In general, all parts of the 24 project are on schedule," Ms. Pees said. "Everything went pretty much as we expected this year." ODOT expects to begin building the western third of U.S. 24's Napoleon-Waterville section next year, with the east end to follow in 2009 and the middle to start sometime thereafter. The entire Napoleon-Waterville stretch is scheduled to open simultaneously in 2011. Work in Indiana Also scheduled to start in 2008 is the Indiana Department of Transportation's section of U.S. 24 linking the Ohio project with I-469 near New Haven, Ind., a Fort Wayne suburb. During meetings last month, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced plans to build all intersections on its section at-grade, rather than building any interchanges. But right-of-way will be acquired for future interchanges if needed, spokesman Stacie McCormick said, and two overpasses restricted to nonmotorized traffic will be provided to allow local Amish to cross the expressway with their horses and buggies. Indiana's construction should be completed by 2012, Ms. McCormick said. "We will have appropriate accommodations to deliver the traffic" between existing U.S. 24 in Indiana and the new road Ohio expects to open in 2009 until Indiana's section is finished, she said. Progress welcome While some highway projects historically generate worries of lost business among merchants in bypassed communities, Antwerp Mayor Margaret Womack said no such fear exists in her village. Everyone's just eager, she said, to see the 3,000 trucks that pass through Antwerp, and stop at one or more of its three traffic signals, using the bypass instead. "It's not going to hurt our town any," she said. "Those trucks don't stop, and there are a lot of older people who won't come into town because of them." "I'm hoping it'll help things grow here in town, as well as a safety thing," said Thomas Stahl, a Paulding County sheriff's deputy, who, with his wife, Yvonne, co-owns the Doghouse Diner in Antwerp. Two subdivisions are under development near the village, he said, and when the new road opens, the drive to Fort Wayne will take just 15 minutes. "As business owners, we are really hoping that by the time this opens, it will be a real plus, even in town," Mr. Stahl said. Antwerp will even get a nearly new street out of the bargain, Ms. Womack said. Once U.S. 24 traffic is using the new road, ODOT has promised to rebuild part of the old road in the village, and repave the rest, before turning it over. Other area roads damaged by construction traffic will be repaired to condition at least as good as they were before, ODOT's Ms. Pees said. The safety issue Jerry Minck, president of the Crane Township trustees, said that except for a few farmers upset that their land has been divided by the roadway, most of his constituents are eager to see the new U.S. 24 completed. "It's gonna be a positive thing getting those trucks off the two-lane road," Mr. Minck said. "I can't wait for that project to be done," Jeff Slattman, who lives in Defiance but works just outside Antwerp, said while eating lunch at the Doghouse Diner. "I'll probably take the old 24, but the trucks won't be using it any more. I can't tell you the number of times I've driven down that road and someone'll decide to pass a semi, and I'll be right there [facing the on-coming vehicle]. I haven't driven threewide in a while, but it happens." Terri Thomas knows all about that. She was in a crash with a truck on U.S. 24 five years ago during which she broke her back and sustained a head injury. "The trooper looked at me and told me he couldn't believe I was still alive," Ms. Thomas said. So now, she said it doesn't really matter that the new highway will be a little closer to her house than the old one, "as long as it's safer." Contact David Patch at: [email protected] or 419-724-6094.
November 7, 200717 yr I still think it's idiotic to ravage the environment and take productive land from the tax rolls to further subsidize our air-fouling, oil wasting transportation system in the name of safety. I've driven the fort-to-port route many times, and it is a horror that continues to get worse because of the complete unbridled aggressiveness of truckers. It would cost a lot less, possibly even turn positive revenue for a while, to put troopers out there thick as fleas and enforce so aggressively that the worst drivers end up losing their CDLs.
November 7, 200717 yr One solution lies in a closer look at the above photo.... right where the overpass is about to be built.... a set of railroad tracks. A single freight train can haul one ton of freight 423 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel. The average freight car can haul up to the equivalent of three semi's. That's not to mention the $$$ cost of taking the oppressive load off of our highways, reducing the need to build major new highways and increasing transportation dollars to upgrading or fixing existing roads.
November 7, 200717 yr In general hwy expansion is a bad idea. But in this case, it has made sense for a long time and the times I've driven it was scary. There is a fair bit of industry (small steel mills and the like) along the road). I don't have a problem with fixing Toledo's angular connecting expressways. I wouldn't be bothered by making 23 a real expressway either.
November 7, 200717 yr Well, US 23 is already well bypassed by Interstate 75 and Ohio Route 15. I typically support highway relocation projects in areas not for economic development, but for safety and congestion reasons. In West Virginia, for instance, US 35 from Interstate 64 to the Ohio state line is an unimproved two-lane road with an accident and fatality rate that is high above state averages. It is being reconstructed in pieces to a four-lane, limited-access highway due to the high number of trucks and cars that share the road. It also completes the US 35 four-lane corridor southeast of Columbus. In other areas, like near Athens, US 33 was reconstructed on a new, two-lane, limited-access alignment from Athens to Pomeroy. But it has ample right-of-way for another two lanes if the need arises for them. Same goes for the US 33 alignment from Pomeroy to Ravenswood, West Virginia, which replaced dangerous two-lane roads that were inadequate for long-distance traffic. Augmenting interstates with a healthy network of improved two- and four-lane roads is vital for removing congestion from interstates, and for giving drivers another choice for short- and long-distance travel. But... in the same token, investment needs to be made for other modes of transport, such as long-distance rail and improving air-travel. As for the "increase cops" comment by Rob, I would tend to disagree. The non-partisan Texas Transportation Institute found that by lowering the speed limit to an unrealistic speed (55 MPH, NMSL) only increases variability in traffic speeds and leads to more congestion and accidents. It's also why the split speed limit model that Ohio has adopted (55 MPH for trucks, 65 MPH for cars on some highways) is not being adopted in many other states. A more uniform speed for all vehicles that follow the 85th percentile has been generally adopted by most states and is endorsed by the TTI -- a realistic speed, in that 85% of the free-flowing traffic travel at that speed or lower. Raising the speed limit generally does not raise the amount of those that travel above the speed limit. In other words, raising the limit from 70 to 80 MPH will not generally raise the amount of excessive speeders from say... 75 MPH to 85 MPH. People travel at the speeds they are comfortable with generally. Plus, the extra police presence is only another revenue generator for an already-corrupt police force. It's good that Ohio is doing something about it ... New Rome ... Steubenville (which had serious offenses brought by the Justice Dept.). We can't even keep cities using traffic cameras from generating excessive profits.
November 7, 200717 yr 23 from 15 to Columbus is not a fun road especially as you get near Delaware. It probably adds a good hour depending on the time of day you make the trip. (75 should be three lanes from at least Findlay to Toledo if not BG north). I can't wait until 35 is finished, we use that to travel between VA and Cincy as it is the shortest way, but the two lane stretch is horrible and dangerous. How long until it is finished?
November 7, 200717 yr I thought Rt 35 was finished, except for the traffic lights in Greene County? "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 8, 200717 yr The other side of 35 in West Virginia between Gallipolis and Hurricane or some such.
November 8, 200717 yr As for the "increase cops" comment by Rob, I would tend to disagree. The non-partisan Texas Transportation Institute found that by lowering the speed limit to an unrealistic speed (55 MPH, NMSL) only increases variability in traffic speeds and leads to more congestion and accidents. It's also why the split speed limit model that Ohio has adopted (55 MPH for trucks, 65 MPH for cars on some highways) is not being adopted in many other states. A more uniform speed for all vehicles that follow the 85th percentile has been generally adopted by most states and is endorsed by the TTI -- a realistic speed, in that 85% of the free-flowing traffic travel at that speed or lower. Raising the speed limit generally does not raise the amount of those that travel above the speed limit. In other words, raising the limit from 70 to 80 MPH will not generally raise the amount of excessive speeders from say... 75 MPH to 85 MPH. People travel at the speeds they are comfortable with generally.cities using traffic cameras from generating excessive profits. The highway involved in Fort-to-Port, especially on the western end, does need capacity improvement. I'll acknowledge that. However, that's no excuse for not trying to control the carnage with more aggressive enforcement. The route curves and twists, following the Maumee River through often-wooded areas. Sight lines are short, with frequent farm road intersections and the potential for slower, often poorly-marked farm traffic. 55mph is a good safe speed for that road, but if you try to drive less than 70 you'll have truckers climbing up your @ss and passing where visibility doesn't guarantee enough room ahead. Many drivers, truckers among them, drive too fast to control their vehicles on that road. Statistically, the info about how much drivers exceed the speed limit may be valid on a broad scale, but locally I've observed that if I push the posted limit by 4-5 mph on I-69, at least as many drivers tailgate and pass me as did before the limit was raised. I think their speeds aren't governed by what they feel is safe or reasonable, but by what they think they can get by with. Many Indiana speeders would still speed by 9 or 14 mph if the limit were 100 mph.
November 9, 200717 yr Bridge project hasn’t stalled, officials say Warren Scott, Weirton Daily Times, November 09, 2007 WELLSBURG — Top officials with the West Virginia Department of Transportation told members of a citizens group promoting the development of a new Ohio River bridge between Brooke and Jefferson counties the project hasn’t stalled but will depend on millions of dollars to become a reality. “If you hear rumors that high officials in Charleston are dragging their feet on this project, that’s not true,” said Jim Sothen, WVDOT deputy state highway engineer for development, who later added, “The rumor we’re slowing down on the project or don’t want it, I can deny categorically.”
November 14, 200717 yr I-90 bridge in Cleveland has damaged plates Wednesday, November 14, 2007 2:23 PM Columbus Dispatch CLEVELAND (AP) — Two steel plates connecting beams that hold up the I-90 bridge heading into downtown Cleveland have buckled about an inch, and others have deteriorated, according to a new state inspection. Within three weeks, the Ohio Department of Transportation will fix the gusset plates by reinforcing them to eliminate the buckling, said Michael Malloy, the ODOT bridge engineer for Cuyahoga County. More at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/11/14/cleveland_bridge.html
November 14, 200717 yr Author ^I've told my partner in no way, shape or form are we taking the Innerbelt until it's completely rebuilt. I don't care if the timetable is 50 years. This quote from cleveland.com got my attention - I knew the Main Avenue bridge was non-redundant but I didn't know the Innerbelt was as well: "Since the 48-year-old bridge is built with a deck truss construction similar to the I-35 span, it's getting extra attention. Like I-35, it's nonredundant, meaning if one part fractures, the whole structure can fall down" clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
November 16, 200717 yr Bridge waits on weather Opening of Corridor D link over Blennerhassett delayed till spring By Rick Steelhammer, The Charleston Gazette, November 15, 2007 PARKERSBURG — Minor design changes and the approach of winter have pushed back the expected opening date for the massive, $135.6 million Blennerhassett Bridge to mid-April, West Virginia and Ohio highway officials announced Wednesday. The 4,009-foot-long span — the longest single tied-arch bridge in the nation — will carry U.S. 50/Appalachian Corridor D across the Ohio River and its namesake, historic Blennerhassett Island. It is the last uncompleted segment of Corridor D, a four-lane roadway linking Clarksburg and Cincinnati, initially authorized in 1965.
November 17, 200717 yr Committee eyeing Columbus to Pittsburgh corridor By KATHIE DICKERSON For The Advocate WEST LAFAYETTE -- A committee dedicated to completing four-lane highways from Columbus to Pittsburgh hopes state and federal officials will recognize them once they complete a formalization process. The Columbus-Pittsburgh Corridor Committee met Friday at Raven's Glenn Winery and Restaurant near West Lafayette. Nothing in the budget was passed this summer by Ohio legislators that prohibits the Ohio Department of Transportation from planning projects or using federal dollars set aside for studies for potential highway expansion projects, State Sen. Joy Padgett told the committee. "What we said was, 'Don't keep putting in Tier 1 (Transportation Review Advisory Council) projects over the ones that have been there for years and aren't completed,'" she said. The committee's mission is to complete four-lane highways stretching 160 miles from Columbus to Pittsburgh, and part of that route includes a remaining two-lane stretch of Ohio 16 in Coshocton County. Coshocton County officials were told in August by representatives of ODOT work wasn't going ahead with that expansion until further notice from the state. Full article at http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071117/NEWS01/711170309/1002
November 17, 200717 yr Great point gildoneon the comparison between building this highway and building the Ohio Hub. The Hub Study even indicates a justification for running commuter rail between Zanesville, Newark and Columbus.....and (as you point out) at far less cost. Just curious if a commuter service has been discussed during the panhandle committee's discussions? A commuter service seems to be quite feasible in this corridor if the ridership numbers are there, which I would think would be the case considering the commuter traffic between Zanesville, Newark, Heath, and Pataskala to CMH and Columbus.
November 17, 200717 yr I'm amazed that road projects like this are even being considered given the federal highway trust fund will become insolvent next year, Congress and the White House are unwilling to raise gas taxes, no presidential candidates have brought up the problem or its causes, ODOT's recent gas tax increase wasn't able to stop revenues from flattening, or keep up with the rising cost of asphalt, steel and diesel fuel. So now we have $7 billion worth of road projects in Ohio that can't be afforded and now we're going to add more to that? Good idea. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 17, 200717 yr This project is just the latest example of a transportation "process" that always ends up with roads as the default choice. We just keep doing the same stupid things over and over again, by inertia and myopia. Meanwhile, gas prices keep going up and that has already called into question our transportation priorities. ODOT's spending power has been radically reduced because of high energy costs, ditto for the feds, which means any new roadway project will be much more problematic. Meanwhile, transit does not reach a lot of areas where it should and Bush threatens to kill Amtrak. Friends, we are headed for disaster. :whip:
November 19, 200717 yr Awesome... this means I won't have to take I-70 anymore... which is so terribly inconvenient! What a mind-blowingly stupid proposal.
December 4, 200717 yr Ironton-Russell Bridge to be fixed Ironton Tribune, December 3, 2007 CHILLICOTHE — A Newark firm is the apparent low bidder for the Ironton-Russell Bridge rehabilitation project. Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 officials opened bids Friday. Armstrong Steel Erectors submitted a bid of approximately $1.3 million. This was the only bid submitted.
December 4, 200717 yr Bids for Ironton-Russell Bridge opened Work could begin as soon as after new year, officials said By Kenneth Hart, The Daily Independent, December 2, 2007 IRONTON — Ohio transportation officials say they expect to award a contract to rehabilitate the Ironton-Russell Bridge within the next two weeks, and work on the project could commence soon after the beginning of the new year.
December 12, 200717 yr http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/12/10/focus5.html Friday, December 7, 2007 Columbus area bridge inspection process not likely to change soon Business First of Columbus - by Brent Wilder For Business First In the wake of the Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August, Columbus-area bridges continue to be inspected and maintained in a balancing act between public budgets and public safety, say the government officials responsible for the more than 1,300 bridges in Franklin County. Ohio bridge inspection requirements are already among the most stringent in the country - mandating annual inspections as opposed to the two-year federal guideline. Therefore, it's unlikely - pending the final analysis of the fatal Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis - that Ohio bridge monitoring and maintenance will undergo significant changes, says Tim Keller, administrator of the Office of Structural Engineering in the Ohio Department of Transportation. Full story at above link:
December 12, 200717 yr Remember back in the '60s and '70s, when most of today's interstate bridges and roads were built, standards were lower: no one figured today's incredible run-up in cars' weight, traffic volume and flood of monster trucks stressing our bridges and chewing up our roadways. given the substatial increase in the amount of freight carried by trucks since the interstate system was built, the impact of increased car weight and car traffic is minimal
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