Can the Deterioration Be Stopped?

Death Toll Dips to 4 in Bridge Collapse August 2, 2007 - 8:16am By JON KRAWCZYNSKI Associated Press Writers MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Authorities lowered the death toll from an interstate bridge collapse to four Thursday, but warned the final number could change as divers search the Mississippi River. (WTOP)

A little good news from what is clearly a horrific event. And shame on Fox News for rushing in the press release from the Department of Homeland (In)security, clearly stating that this was not a terrorist incident. Of course it was not an act of terrorism. That should have been clear from the way the way the bridge came to rest.

Now, with all that being said, it should be a wake up call. As I have said before, a number of times, the infrastructure in the United States is crumbling to dust.

• The power grid is in danger of overload for more months out of the year than not.
  
  
• Water and sewer pipes under the nation's cities are rusted, rotted and decayed and just waiting to break, freeze or explode, costing even more money to band aid and keep them functioning.
  
  
• The road network is just barely hanging together, most of the key pieces being more than 20 years old, unmaintained or not maintained at the level that they should be and most not even designed for the volumes of automobiles, SUVs and trucks that pass over they every single day.
  

Visual inspections are not enough any more. I am sure we will discover that there was some intrinsic flaw in the material that caused it to collapse, something that could not be predicted. What concerns me is that the flaw is probably evident in other structures and it is only a matter of time before a bridge over a more significant drop results in more than just a handful of deaths.

What I really want to know is when is the United States going to start investing in itself again? Answer that question before it becomes to late to make the decision.