As a professional engineer working in a state DOT position. I can say that typically nearly all bridges are safe. The problem is funding. What I feel our ecomony needs is the $500 billion spent in Iraq. A typical 900' steel beam high level bridge with design and construction will run about $20 million. That equates to 25,000 new interstate bridges across the country. An econimic engine would start and run this country for sometime if only that money were invested on our OWN soil.

With the concern of bridge safety I wanted to let you know of another bridge that puts "scary thoughts" each time it is crossed. It's known as the Madison-Milton bridge that links Madison, IN to Milton, KY. Madison lies on the Ohio River between Cincinnati, OH and Louisville, KY. Madison is about fifty miles east of Louisville and no bridges exist between the two cities. Cincinnati is upstream about 60 miles and there is a bridge about 20 miles from Madison toward Cincinnati. The Madison-Milton bridge (US 421) was built in 1921 which is two-lane and narrow. It had a new roadbed installed about ten years ago at a cost of $10 million dollars. There have been talks of replacing the bridge for many years and it appears that will be a potential consideration in another 5-10 years. The amount of traffic is obviously significant but with the number of semi-trucks that travel across the bridge each day is alarming. When the bridge was bult in 1921 this kind of traffic flow wasn't even conceived of. Every time I cross the bridge the thought enters my mind "is this the moment we'll go down".
The event in Minneapolis sure puts these thoughts into reality.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Vernon

now listen youse guys israel needs weapons a lot worst than we need bridges.rember(they are the chosen ones) we have to spend all of our money on dubya revenge war.doh-doh.

Some idiot spokesman on the news stated that over 80,000 bridges in this country have been declared sructually deficient but that does not mean they need to be torn down. No it doesnt but if it doesn't pertain to something that demands immediate attention then the words stuctually deficient are even more deficient then the bridges. Lets face it all of the infastrucure money has been wasted on the stupid war or by our elected officials.

We just have to be patient but keep on fixing our infrastructure. True it cost a lot of money to fix them but we need it. If we just use all those money that is spent on Iraq, we'll have more than enough to do the job.

Wow, I need to get out of New Jersey now!

Its a shame how much integrity the USA has lost. Not just within, but all over the world. Most of the 'administrations' have grosely neglected this country and its people, and now we're paying the price for it. Not only in this country, but paying the price for other countries as well. Have we, lost our minds? Wait till you see whats coming.

Looks like th folks in Jersey have been "on the cheap" with their bridges. Those folks have a big price to pay now. Get to work, Jersey!

Sounds like we should send more troops to the Middle East

everyone is so upset about the bridge and the war in iraq but what everyone is forgetting is the bush did not start this war terrist did when the killed all those people in the 911 bombing what kind of a president do you all want one that will fight to protect this country or one that will hide behide the white house doors and say "i don't want to go out there this world is full of bullies." the bridge collape is the worst i have seen in my life but it didn't happen because of the war in iraq i watch the news everyday and i see how much money comes in to our states for this funding and that funding and frankly i blame the state it self for not putting all this money into the right place. the bridge between arkansas and greenville ms. is old and shakes like crazy and is a danger to lives everyday but arkansas and ms. are contrusting a new brige now that is safer all the states in the usa need to find the money they are spending on things that are not that important and use that money to fix the bridges in their states that are in need of repair or replacement and the usa would be safe and leave bush only because he is trying to protect the usa from terrist

Not to make light of this subject, but we will probably import the re-placement bridge from China. It is a shame what has happened to this country. We have gone from the world's producer of goods and services to one that is bent on consumption while not taking care of our internal needs.

Wow, I live in NJ. The worst state in the union!!!!!! We have crazy blood sucking politicians and we are on the list several times...great job NJ!!!

Yep! "Chris", "Terrists" started the whole thing! We never did anything wrong (or anything you could understand as wrong). And it's not Mr. Bush's fault. His faults are other, too few to mention, and yes, obviously have little to do with bridge collapses.

Chris: International bridges have collapsed also! (Those are bridges over in the "Terrist" countries) and yes,
"Terrist" are to blame for that too.
Specially Iraki "Terrist" which attacked us with WMD's, lucky for us we had president Bush, Cheney & Rummy prepared, and they destroyed Irak first!
You are another perfect citizen molded in the image of your flawless leader.

If one wants to look at crumbling infrastructure one only has to visit the Army Corp of Engineers dams built by the WPA in the early 1930's. These dams have had no appreciable work done on them since around 1968 and many are about ready to collapse. I live near 11 of them and each one leaks during normal rains.

Our whole system of infrastructure design and repair is based on the "how many people died" equation. To get a stop sign, to get a traffic light, to get a highway or to get a bridge. Forward thinking is todays environment only gets claims of "Boondoggle", "Pork", or "Overengineering." In the USA in today's political environment be it Republican, Democrat or any other, there is NO INCENTIVE to do the right thing before something blows up in our faces. Unfortunate, but true.

Does anyone else find it strange that traffic camera video of the bridge collapse was made available within hours, yet the traffic cam videos of the plane striking or flying toward the Pentagon have not been made available for six years?

"Tha fact that any have collapsed, is too many! There is no reason for these to have happened"

So the arguement is, if we throw enough money at a problem, then accidents will never happen? The point that was lost to many is that because of the good work that is done by both state and federal agencies, your chance of being killed in a structural failure of a bridge is around 1 in a TRILLION! And to suggest that I somehow lack empathy with those who lost their lives or their families is a cheap arguement, used by those with cheap points to make that can't hold water on their own. And for those who talk of the deficit, the projection is that the Federal Deficit will be 0 by next year, due to large increases in tax revenue gained during the strong economy.

A bridge collapse near election time? It makes me wonder if it was staged to mask some other evil doing by the government. Or maybe it's staged to make Mr. U.S.A. look like a hero for his help with the rebuilding. Some of the comments above are completely understand. This country is so corrupt, they love to scare(government via media). The nursery rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down" signifies the fall of their queen. Oh how I wish this bridge collapse signified the falling (not by death) of our head of state.

Katrina, Minnesota.
Your tax cuts at work.

Here comes the media blamers and the Political Cronies. Everytime a tragedy occurs the Dems or Repubs come out to blame each other and push their own agendas. That includes the political controlled media. Lets concentrate on ignoring these fools and just address the problems in our own states. No normal human beings want to deliberatly harm each other. Let the political crap that breeds on these posts go.