isn't it amazing? we have money for wars and domestic drones, wall street bailouts and *unlimited* political willpower when it comes to curtailing constitutional freedoms. but when it comes to basic infrastructure, all you hear is crickets.
"it was hit by a truck". well here's a couple of reality sound-bites for consideration:
isn't this the third one in the last few years?
People running government are good hearted selfless stupid ignorant people who keep doing what benefits themselves and their friends regardless of the cost to everyone else by accident. They didn't mean for it turn out that way. The distribution of how things turn out good for themselves must be tighter than six-sigma, but never you mind that. If you want good bridges you're going to have to live up to your end of the social contract and pay more taxes.
And there will be more.
That is what the majority of the populace wants.
They don't build them like they used to. There is a Bridge in Greece that is about three thousand years old. Google,,, Oldest Bridges in the World
arent' built by chinese these days?
And how is that coast to coast railroad holding up aftter 1.5 century of beating
sorry, just could not resist :^)
new ones sure are. the eastern span of the new san francisco bay bridge is made in china. it's shameful and disgusting. and not a cheep from the local politicians. and unbelievably, the few bolts that are made domestically are falling apart from hydrogen cracking!!!
that sir, is an excellent excellent question. indeed, railroad bridges, being privately owned, are much better maintained, and much more conservatively built.
and even more interestingly, the railroad companies are much more conservative in what they require from road builders too. on the maze of freeways that converge onto the bay bridge, there are sections that cross both bnsf and amtrack rails. /on the same section/ of elevated freeways, the subsections that span the rails are much more heavily constructed and therefore stronger than the sections that merely elevate or span roads. apparently, it's ok for car drivers to experience death falling onto other roads and the ground, but the railroads don't want that stuff affecting their tracks,
i think it's not just a bizarre double-standard, but that it makes mockery of the design and safety criteria used in public infrastructure construction if one major transportation provider thinks the others' inadequate.
very good points, both.
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