Politics

Bridge Collapses and Closures Should Be a Wakeup Call

The recent bridge problems that we’ve seen in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas are proving that our nation’s 50 year old infrastructure is crumbling due to improper planning, negligence and inadequate management at all levels of government. In response to the recent problems we’ve uncovered Mike introduced the Bridge Life Extension Act of 2008. This bill sets new standards for bridges that receive federal funding by requiring the states to develop corrosion mitigation and prevention plans for all bridges undergoing repair, rehabilitation or construction. The states will be required to submit the outlined plans to the Secretary of Transportation for approval before Federal funds are granted. The plans must contain expected useful life of the bridge, details of corrosion mitigation and prevention methods in construction and maintenance of the bridge, certification and approval by a corrosion expert and corrosion training for all bridge inspectors. We can no longer ignore the facts that more lives will be lost if we do not address our nation’s aging infrastructure. Austin Weatherford-Legislative Assistant to Rep. Mike Conaway

Full post as published by Mike Conaway's Blog on June 12, 2008 (boomark / email).