Comments on: Search For Answers In Bridge Collapse

2005 Report Called Minnesota Bridge "Structurally Deficient" And Possibly In Need Of Replacement

[mcvet]

By the way, the blaming of our present president for this is getting old fast!!

Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, they all spent money on our military and this country's defense.

Talk about a waste of our young ---Vietnam anyone?? 54,000 dead. Johnson's war.

Talk about a waste of our wealth---Race to the moon anyone?? Billions and billions of (1960's) dollars, for who? For what? Kennedy's friends.


Posted by thgdriver at 04:25 PM : Aug 02, 2007

HOW many of these people CUT funding for the Highways? How many of these presidents refused to fund repairs properly so they could give tax breaks to Oil Companies who were making TON's of money. But the biggest thing to note was that the funding for those hightways and Bidges were NOT cut because our nation had the TAX BASE to support the spending on the Space Program, which has been a great benefit to EVERY American. The Trickle Down Economics ELIMINATED the Jobs of the workers who were paying the freight and EVERYONE knows it... Sieg Heil Y'all.

[qualityl]

Right on, teeus! I also heard about the bridge being rated a 4 out of 9. As a MN resident, I am well aware that Pawlenty REFUSED to fund MNDOT to do maintenance, because he was insisting that the state heavily increase its debt to fund the maintenance via bonds, rather than increase taxes. Even though his rich buddies have gotten significant tax breaks since they funded him into office for his first term.

Well, I hope his rich buddies have fun counting the money stained with the blood of the victims of the I-35W bridge crash, not to mention the cost of now REPLACING the bridge instead of just repairing it!

[klingon69]

Based on the lie that companies do everything better than governments do
Politicians are selling our bridges
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/1
309

Posted by coffeehead at 03:23 PM : Aug 02, 2007
We already had a pres that gave away our national parks to the UN.

[michellem99-2009]

Dears,
Do you think that I don't think OF them people who are there,who lost loved ones,who have to find another way of getting around. We have been over that very bridge..When we used live there.
We have aging bridges every where. And flankly it scarey. We all have go over bridges and they ARE old and unsafe. Yes it took years for them get in this state. Fix them right or rebuild and maintain as you oaght.
We are so sad for the people during their time of need. I am 52. Put the blame on the proper parties after the dearly departed have been found and their remains layed to rest. Heart felt prayers .

[pepperp1]

So our United States infrastructure is collapsing but no money to fix it and Congress wants us to pay for it through bonds, buy us paying bonds. How about these Senators you pay for the war with bonds we will pay for the countries infrastructure that we all benefit from with our taxes. Gives Halliburton, Exxon and the college repugs and neo con sect members an opportunity to give back to the country by buying war bonds, now with an estimated cost in excess of 1 TRILLION dollars.

[teeus]

Relax--I'm not blaming the pres. I'm blaming the gov:

"The bridge was rated as "structurally deficient" 2 years ago and possibly in need of replacement. The deficiency rating is from a complex formula. A score of 80 percent or less indicates some rehabilitation may be needed; a 50 percent score or less indicates replacement may be in order. The bridge was rated at 50 percent.

The data also summarize the bridge's status as "structurally deficient." Bridge components are ranked on a scale of 0 to 9, with 0 being "failed" and 9 being "excellent."

In 2005, the bridge's superstructure was rated at 4. The bridge's deck was rated 5, and the substructure, comprised of the piers, abutments, footings and other components, was rated 6. The report noted "many poor fatigue details" and said certain members of the main truss should be inspected every two years. In addition, the report said, certain sections of the floor trusses had high stress areas that should be inspected every six months.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Wednesday night that the bridge was inspected in 2005 and 2006." http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1338970.html

But what they fail to mention is that Gov Tim Pawlenty cut the MNDOT budget for inspections. They might have inspected the bridges, but it was a shortened version of the standard tests.

[ozone-baby]

Well said thgdriver
I agree, as much as I dislike Bush, how can he possibly be blamed for this? Yes, the reports showed damage, just like any structure of that age would. But do you honestly believe that the powers that be would let people drive on it if they thought for one minute this would happen? I don't think so. I am not always in support of politicians and the things they try to get by with but I do think this was just "one of those fluke things" that unfortunately happen in the world.

[jonesforch]

thgdriver

Applauding your well spoken veiws.

I lived in and around this bridge for 15 years. I hate bridges to being with. Drove over it many times. This is a horrible thing to happen in any city.

[thgdriver]

By the way, the blaming of our present president for this is getting old fast!!

Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, they all spent money on our military and this country's defense.

Talk about a waste of our young ---Vietnam anyone?? 54,000 dead. Johnson's war.

Talk about a waste of our wealth---Race to the moon anyone?? Billions and billions of (1960's) dollars, for who? For what? Kennedy's friends.

[nkp007]

I agree with Long this seems logical because alot of the witnesses were saying that the bridge tilted to one side then the whole thing collapsed (theres a video of it collapsing on cbs's website). that does seem logical, but the deck ontop has nothing strutural about it, so repairing the deck would not weaken the bridge substantially if at all.