America's Crumbling Roads and Bridges

(CBS)  In its "Where America Stands" series, CBS News is looking at a broad spectrum of issues facing this country in the new decade.

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Deliveryman Mike Sweeney used to just drive over the Lake Champlain Bridge to get to work. But it closed suddenly last fall with almost no warning. Now, Sweeney has to row to work.

CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports the American Society of Civil Engineers issues a report cardevery 4 years on the state of America's infrastructure. The last one in 2009 was not good at all. The overall grade was a "D."

"Back in 2005, we also did a report card and it was still a "D" there, so we haven't gained any ground," said Andrew Herrmannwho helped write the report card. It examined every aspect the country's infrastructure. Bridges got a "C" - but even with that average grade, 12 percent of the more than 72 thousand bridges are too old or what's politely called structurally deficient.

"We've been ignoring our infrastructure for decades," Herrmann said. "We've been under-investing in what we have."

The problem with bridges became impossible to ignore in 2007, when the I-35 bridge collapsed in Minneapolis.Thirteen people died.

Last October, engineers became so alarmed after an underwater inspection of the pilings holding up the Lake Champlain Bridge - that they closed it with just 10 minutes warning. No lives were lost, but life has not been the same since.

CBS Reports: Where America Stands

Lisa Cloutier owns what used to be known as the Bridge Restaurant until she decided to change the name on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain.

"Eighty-percent of my business came across that bridge," Cloutier said.

On a snowy day last December she watched them blow up the bridge. It wasn't worth saving.

Now, the only way across is either by ferry or 90 minute drive. A new bridge will cost at least $70 million dollars.

Spending money is part of the solution. China spends 7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on its infrastructure. India spends 5 percent. The United States spends less than 2 percent. Engineers think the U.S. will have to spend $2.2 trillion over 5 years to bring the overall grade for infrastructure up to an 'A.'

Herrmann's concerned that it will be tough to seel taxpayers on this spending.

But the solution isn't just spending money - it's also spending money wisely on things like research and development.

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At the University of Michigan, Dr. Victor Liis close to perfecting a new kind of concrete - flexible concrete. It's one bright idea that could have a big payoff. Li's concrete is not only flexible, but it also heals itself. Any cracks that form will expose millions of tiny microfibers that form a seal when exposed to air and water. The cracks fill themselves in before they compromise safety.

Dr. Li said that a bridge made of self-healing concrete would have an average life-span of 100 years. The problem is self healing concrete will probably cost 3 times as much as the regular stuff. But the experts say there's no getting around it - any improvement to any infrastructure - is going to cost money.

"We're going to have to do that now for the future, for our grandchildren," Herrmann said.

The engineers insist if we don't start spending money and spending it wisely, more and more Americans will end up in the same boat as Mike Sweeney - and soon.

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[idj57]

Have you forgotten America?! These are some of the consequences of failed economics and war policies. Unpaid tax cuts for the rich and corporations, Unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Unfunded tax subsidies for big oil, corporate farms, health insurance companies and a host of other tax dollar give away! Now some are trying to blame Entitlements(which are funded by our payroll deductions to include our military and military families)Public Workers, Public Education, Women, Children and Military Veterans! We are pulling more than our weight meanwhile the rich and corporations are enjoying Tax Break Holidays! This truly is Un-Democratic and Un-American!

[jd2408]

Just google earmarks in transportation bill and see what waste is in the bills. You won't believe it. On projects for museums, walkways, bike trails, and millions upon millions of dollars wasted on their pet projects that do nothing for our infrastructure. Our government is a fraud. They just don't care.

[joelwisch2]

This is the address of the infrastructure report card. Why don't you click on it and find out what YOUR state has NOT been doing while they supported the illegal aliens for the last twenty years.
http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/

[jd2408]

Thanks much for the link. I'm sending it in an e mail to our reps. They won't care but I'm doing it anyway.

[karidragon]

The extended tax cuts given to the rich would have paid to fix all of our crumbling infrastructure and it would have been a real nice stimulus package. Or those tax cuts could have paid all of the tuition for %50 of full time college students. Instead repubs don't believe that funding infrastructure is 'creating jobs'. Furthermore, the republican house eliminated Pell grants for college students. So, you can't go to college and there are no good paying jobs for those without a degree.

[Another_American]

ASCE or AAA..both equate the same grade of "D". Unfortunately we will never catch up...too many demands on limited funding.

[DidHeSayThat]

instead of paying people unemployment and welfare to sit at home watching trash TV, maybe they can DO SOMETHING.

ALL PEOPLE. No one should be without a job unless they are independently wealthy and it's their choice.

[karidragon]

When you are unemployed all of your time is spent looking for a job. The unemployment you get isn't enough to make ends meet and if you get a job for less then what it pays, the amount you get drops drastically and it becomes harder to look for the job that you need cause you have to work around the schedule. Furthermore, no one will hire you knowing that you will leave once you have the job that you are looking for.

[lily777]

How many College graduates does it take to blacktop the roads and fix and paint the bridges? Obama talking about jobs in innovation and how important education is--then he says infrastructure--come on the work will be done by existing DPW workers and Obama is going to convince our children to go into debt--by taking out school loans--so the will be educated for jobs that don't exist. It is another scheme like the housing bubble--easy credit that will get out of hand at some point--but stimulates spending now.

[Calendular]

America's crumbling roads and bridges-- a problem second only to America's crumbling morals.

[dlxpan]

Most countries of the world both rich and poor pay more for gas than the US. They also have a lower wages. An additional 15 cents/galon won't reduce the consumption at all. You could probably add 50 cents and still have rush hour traffic jams.

[jd2408]

The gas cost so much more in other countries because it helps fund their paid for health care systems and many other social programs that the American citizens do not receive. Do your homework first before you make such a statement.

[xnotseenx]

What happened to all of those "Shovel ready jobs" that would fix the infrastructure that Obama promised a while back?

[blindersoff]

With a grade of D I would guess there are more than enough. Are the states doling out the money? Or are Republican governors trying to make the President look bad? With double digit unemployment, NOW is the time to put people to work. The cost will just go up the longer we wait. Not to mention, the danger to those of us that cross these bridges and roads daily.