Yikes. Overpass collapses in Cincy, at least one dead.

I was going to post about this, but I am not currently in Cincinnati.

I'm hoping the clean up is complete by the time I have to work on Thursday morning - this location is part of my daily commute.

Not to cheapen the loss of life, but if this was going to happen regardless, we are lucky it happened when the highway was not busy. I can't imagine what would have happened if the collapse would have occurred during rush hour, when there is often bumper to bumper traffic under that structure.

 

In that Walking Dead/The Stand type of scenario this would be happening all over the country I suspect. Especially after a few years.

 

Kentucky has been researching ways to replace the Brent Spence for a while now. No consensus has been reached, however.

Also, this happened because there is improvement going on along the I-75 corridor. The new ramp to Hopple Street is open and this overpass was part of the old one being removed. It looks like the construction company working on it made a mistake, most likely.

 

By last report there were hundreds of major bridges and overpasses that needed serious repairs.
Our infrastructure is crumbling and the government doesn't seem to be able to come up with a solution.
It's very frustrating.
I understand fears about the debt but a few more collapsing bridges and deaths might change people minds.

 

Our infrastructure is a mess and not just roads and bridges, but airports, seaports, electric grid, water treatment facilities, etc.

Transportation infrastruture investment always had bi-partisan support until recently. Obama's second stimulus initiative in 2010 and 2011 was targeted to highway and bridge maintenance and repair and creating lots of jobs. It was blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

The problem is compounded by Republicans wanting to rely solely on the Highway Trust Fund supported by the federal gas tax; a tax that has not been increased in 20 years and does not come close to meeting the funding needs for highway repair. And of course, Republicans also oppose raising the federal gas tax.

 

John Boehner Throws Cold Water On Gas Tax Increase

Yup, this happened either in his district or close to it. Maybe if there were a lot more road construction workers, projects wouldn't take years and years, demolitions can happen safely, and more bridges can be repaired.

 

The road opened about 24 hours after the collapse, which is phenomenal for a cleanup of that magnitude (and accompanying investigation).

 

The Highway Trust Fund from the federal gas tax pays 45% of state/local highway contructution/maintenance/repair costs but it is running on empty.

As a result for Ohio:



But Boehner and the Republicans wont raise the gas tax that has not been increased since 1993.

 

And it takes them half a decade to repair any big roads here. They don't need to pay to store any orange barrels because they are all out on I-75 (especially in the North).