another bridge collapse

[blankslate]

Let them eat high speed rail. That only goes between Madera and Bakersfield.

Haha, good try... but "they" get flown around in helicopters... various politicians and the truly wealthy.

 

[Lanyap]

Republicans keep blocking spending on infrastructure for political reasons. They don't care about anything but re-gaining power and blocking anything Dems want to do.

JuanitaValdez1 says:

Please read the article before posting.This was caused by a truck accident (the state approved the oversize vehicle on this bridge, even though the bridge was too short.)

2) In Washington state, environmental reports cost millions per project and delay everything by years...only to plant a few trees that would be self-planted up here anyway (trees grow in Washington without irrigation--you know--it rains here). And the trees they plant will be cut down in 20 years with the expansion, so we could save probably 20% of all projects without the mitigation (indulgence) fees (sintaxes)

3) Governor Inslee's only concern is global warming, not people moving things, so he will never pay for an expansion of roads, so we are screwed.

4) We have had democrat governors and democrat-controlled legislature for almost 3 decades (have not had a republican governor since the 1980 election). You can try and blame republicans, but they have not been in power.

 

[Socio]

Republicans keep blocking spending on infrastructure for political reasons. They don't care about anything but re-gaining power and blocking anything Dems want to do.

No infrastructure was to have been paid for by the stimulus Obama signed in to law, you know to create jobs and fix our crumbling roads and bridges but most of it went to public unions instead.

Of course those Unions are Obama supporters so naturally a portion of the stimulus got funneled to the Obama campaign in the form of donations which helped him get re-elected.

It is called organized crime on a monumental scale!

 

[Incorruptible]

Republicans keep blocking spending on infrastructure for political reasons. They don't care about anything but re-gaining power and blocking anything Dems want to do.

And you ignore democrats who keep wanting more spending you hack

 

[HeXen]

So did the Mothman show up beforehand? They say people see him before bridge collapses.

 

[colonelciller]

Republicans keep blocking spending on infrastructure for political reasons. They don't care about anything but re-gaining power and blocking anything Dems want to do.

This is what a brainwashed populace looks like... take any issue and you have:

republicans blaming democrats
democrats blaming republicans

Nobody ever blaming both "parties" collectively. They're both the same exact thing, core principles unchanged since WWII... consistendly focusing and pressing the exact same agenda since WWII. Democrats and Republicans are the same at their core, but they've got everyone distracted with the silly side issues, and they try as hard as possible to speak in divergent agenda directions... while on the core issues they agree completely.

meanwhile they've got the populace blaming the fellow common man of the "other party" for every single problem... the mindless knee-jerk unthinking and uncritical reaction that their fellow democrats... or the republicans... or the libs... or the conservatives... are the problem.

With this nonsense nobody ever looks to the source of the problems.
here's a hint, it isn't the "other party"

 

[davmat787]

So did the Mothman show up beforehand? They say people see him before bridge collapses.

Up here we get sightings of Sasquatch's evil twin just prior to bridge collapses rather than the Mothman.

 

[soundforbjt]

No infrastructure was to have been paid for by the stimulus Obama signed in to law, you know to create jobs and fix our crumbling roads and bridges but most of it went to public unions instead.

Of course those Unions are Obama supporters so naturally a portion of the stimulus got funneled to the Obama campaign in the form of donations which helped him get re-elected.

It is called organized crime on a monumental scale!

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...oots-down-obama-infrastructure-bill/?page=all


http://www.americanprogress.org/iss.../will-congress-block-infrastructure-spending/

 

[IGBT]

but..the obama said all his shovel ready shit was supposed to fix all that.

 

[Lanyap]

From the OT thread. Probably a republican driving the pilot car and truck...

witness is reporting an oversized load truck took the bridge out.
His pilot car was not far enough ahead, and the witness was another truck driver who saw the pilot car whip hitting the bridge. Then he watched the truck hit the bridge in his mirror.

 

[BoomerD]

From the OT thread. Probably a republican driving the pilot car and truck...

He's a Canuck...so maybe...




Or not.

 

[DrPizza]

I could never figure out the need for those pilot cars, etc.

Isn't there a list of bridge heights? Seems you could easily make a map app that says, "your load is 13 feet high, you can't go that route." How the hell could it be 2013 and there not be an existing database to check against BEFORE you head out on the highway?

 

[DucatiMonster696]

You'd be better off privatizing those bridges and having the owner charge a toll. Those who use the bridge the most would pay for the costs of maintaining said bridge, the owners would be incentivized to maintain their property because it is generating profit (rather than having government officials siphon off that money for their own agenda), and everyone else wouldn't have to be taxed to maintain a bridge in an area of the state (or nation) that they do not care about or have anything to do with at all.

 

[BoomerD]

I could never figure out the need for those pilot cars, etc.

Isn't there a list of bridge heights? Seems you could easily make a map app that says, "your load is 13 feet high, you can't go that route." How the hell could it be 2013 and there not be an existing database to check against BEFORE you head out on the highway?

That already exists. In this case, had the driver driven in the center of the two lanes, everything would have been fine, but he crowded the right side where the girder sloped down...and BANG!

Driving cranes for decades, every trip with an oversized load required a special permit with routing to avoid bridges and roadways that wouldn't support the load or were too small for the load. The various state highway departments all have the necessary info...

 

[BoomerD]

AND...it looks like the truck/load exceeded both width and height for the permit given...

http://www.king5.com/video/featured...th-height-designated-in-permit-208967341.html

 

[OverVolt]

Why re-invest in oil-based infrastructure? We need rail for our main transport lines.

 

[shadow9d9]

The Dems had a trillion $'s to blow in '09 and decided not to fix the bridge, yet you blame Repubs?

Fern

Democrats never had 60 seats, so everything has been at the will of republicans.

 

[Genx87]

So did the Mothman show up beforehand? They say people see him before bridge collapses.

I think he has already migrated back to the Virginia area for the Summer.

 

[Genx87]

Democrats never had 60 seats, so everything has been at the will of republicans.

It must pain you to know the democrats have such a lack of testicles within the party. That even when they have a near super majority the republicans control the senate.

 

[Genx87]

Remember when people talk about they are happy to pay taxes for roads and infrastructure. The category of "other" recieves a larger slice of the budget than transportation.

 

[Texashiker]

The problem with our infrastructure goes far deeper than most people realize.

For example, a great number of the facilities that built bridges in the 1950s, 1960s and even into the 1970s have been closed and dismantled. These facilities had machinery for bending pipe and steal beams.

And then you have to have trained workers. Wages in the metal working field have been stagnated since the 1990s, maybe even the 1980s. I left the welding and metal working field after 15 years due to lack of decent pay and lack of benefits.

With manufacturing companies paying low wages you are not going to attract the brightest of people.

Our steel mills have been closed, demolished and sent overseas.

This is not "just" a bridge issue, it is a maintenance and production issue. How are we supposed to repair our bridges when the majority of our steel is imported. Do you really want your bridges built by high school dropouts who can barely read and write? With poverty level wages that is what you are going to get.