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Old 01-31-2022, 07:14 AM
 
Location: Vermont
9,353 posts, read 5,107,812 times
Reputation: 17702

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For a brief moment, when I heard this news, I thought, 'Wow, these people will do anything to bolster JoeJoe."
Then I saw the bus there and thought, nah, they can't be that evil.
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:18 AM
 
Location: Western PA
10,516 posts, read 4,320,384 times
Reputation: 6528
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801 View Post
Might? Lol. You would need a time machine to get a bridge built that cheaply. It would cost a lot more than that to design the bridge, let alone construct it.

back in late 83 my folks moved from here to huntingdon/huntingdon - a small city center of the state. coming in from the east on rt22 was what the locals referred to as the 'million dollar bridge' - something replaced by penndot to GREAT angst of the locals as it detoured all of US22 traffic thru town to a particularly arduous turn at 4th street and pennsylvania for over a year - and this was when the town was still alive and viable.


The million dollars referred to the scandalous amount of money - completely unheard of at this time. It was much larger and much stronger than this bridge as it had to carry diagonally across the flood prone juniata river and the 3 track penn central/conrail right of way.


every time I tune into the trib for an update, the time estimate grows faster than cost. cost was 10.5M yesterday and time was 2 years. This am the county exec mentioned 3 years. THAT is the crime. being allegheny country and the 2nd home of PA corruption...I would be very suspect of any concrete and steel used in the build back broken effort. especially when the much much larger, much much more vital, much much more traveled liberty bridge is STILL awaiting major reconstruction/repair following a fire a few years back.
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:19 AM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
37,070 posts, read 19,043,723 times
Reputation: 14809
Quote:
Originally Posted by hooligan View Post
Interesting.
The old "two step shuffle and segue" is always a fascinating dance to observe.
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:22 AM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,894 posts, read 74,952,198 times
Reputation: 66818
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover View Post
The one crossing from Cincinnati to Kentucky has long been in need of repairs, but Chinese Mitch doesn't seem to care!

I read there's pieces falling into a parking lot on the Kentucky side!
I haven't heard that, but I don't doubt it. The Brent Spence until recently has been classified only as functionally obsolete to carry the load of traffic that uses it, and because the emergency lanes have been redesignated as traffic lanes. But it's almost 60 years old, carries almost twice the traffic it was designed to carry, and how on earth that fire a couple years ago could not have compromised the integrity of the structure is beyond me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
I repeat why should the people of MY state, and evrey other state, PAY to repair YOUR roads?

Why don't YOU investigate and find out WHY the annual money allocated for maintenance was NOT used to maintain YOUR roads and bridges?
The answer to your first question is: Because the nature of our transportation system allows it. Don't like how federal transportation funds are allocated? Take it up with your Congressional representatives.

The answer to the second question, of course, varies from state to state. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and its pathetic stepchild, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, are as corrupt and mismanaged as they come, and the state legislature exacerbates the problem by allocating transportation funds to non-transportation expenses, and filling the statewide coffers on the outrageous and ever-rising tolls on the turnpike system. This particular bridge collapse is being shrugged off by TPTB because, well, no one died ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by AfriqueNY View Post
I admit. It's not a good look for PA Pols. I have to go to the area in PA for a funeral on Saturday and those bridges are kinda scary. They all need to be inspected.
Oh, they've been inspected. They just haven't been repaired or replaced.

Quote:
Originally Posted by corpgypsy View Post
This thread is an example of the rust and rot that threatens these United States of America. Those who are immune to facts and bereft of decency have again found a topic to co-opt and exploit where they gleefully disseminate ludicrous lies, chaotic claptrap and twisty tales. Spreading deceit & sowing doubt, disseminating innuendo & propagating false comparisons are the hallmark of all movements whose goals are dissension, chaos & destabilization....deterioration that is as dangerous to a country and its citizens as a collapsing bridge.

Another brilliant post.
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:25 AM
 
17,389 posts, read 9,211,900 times
Reputation: 11863
Quote:
Originally Posted by natalie469 View Post
But did they have the money to do so. How much would it have cost and would they have had to raise taxes to pay for it. I mean someone has to pay for it.
The famous Infrastructure Bill was just another “Bait and Switch”. Very little money to go for fixing roads and bridges - it’s all about mass transit and greenie projects. Same was true of the Obama Stimulus infrastructure bill.

The Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse and the Infrastructure Bill
Congress put climate pork ahead of roads and bridges - WSJ free link


The bill includes $40 billion in new funding for bridges, a pittance compared to the $156 billion for mass transit and rail that are bleeding cash due to generous labor agreements and low ridership. Mass transit had already received $70 billion in pandemic relief.

Quote:
Originally Posted by uggabugga View Post
"The bridge that just collapsed in the city of Pittsburgh was set to be restored in 2016. Instead of replacing the completely rusted out supports, they diverted the money to bike lanes, green energy programs and lanes for self driving cars.
Instead of replacing the support beams they used cables and diverted the money to woke ****"
It’s even worse than that - repair jobs go to the bottom of the pile in the Transportation department for approval.

Highway Funding Bait-and-Switch —The Biden DOT puts restrictions on new federal highways. - WSJ

According to the memo, proposals should be sent to the bottom of the pile if they “add new general purpose travel lanes serving single occupancy vehicles.” She means cars. That includes construction of new roads and highways, or expansions of existing ones. States and cities that need new capacity will take a back seat to those seeking upgrades.


Disdain for highways is common among progressive regulators, who see blocking road improvements as a virtue that will assist mass transit and climate-change goals. Upon her appointment as the interim highway administration leader, Ms. Pollack promised “an agency that supports people rather than a singular mode of transportation.” Her boss, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has said that traditional highway designs are racist.

Nothing will improve as long as Congress keeps the money (our money) to dole out to their cronies and favored projects. States know best where the money needs to be spent and the States have to face their Citizens Pot Hole Pete will never face anyone and neither will Scranton Joe.

Over a Trillion dollars down the Green Hole.
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:27 AM
 
12,268 posts, read 6,442,637 times
Reputation: 9418
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brave Stranger View Post
Again...there was NO corruption. It's not called the "Russian Hoax" for nothing.
It`s not called a hoax by a bi-partisan Senate report that found that Putin did indeed meddle in our election. Is there a new hoax that we`re not aware of?
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Western PA
10,516 posts, read 4,320,384 times
Reputation: 6528
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley. View Post
For a brief moment, when I heard this news, I thought, 'Wow, these people will do anything to bolster JoeJoe."
Then I saw the bus there and thought, nah, they can't be that evil.

the fact that rational people even for fleeting moments, have such thoughts, show how bad it has gotten. The recent past gives credibility to these thoughts no? we have been growing so accustomed to the outright lies and fabrications joe et al foist on us, that we EXPECT it.
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Western PA
10,516 posts, read 4,320,384 times
Reputation: 6528
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmagoo View Post
It`s not called a hoax by a bi-partisan Senate report that found that Putin did indeed meddle in our election. Is there a new hoax that we`re not aware of?

putin brought the bridge down now? I thot it was hillary?
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Old 01-31-2022, 07:51 AM
 
Location: Vermont
9,353 posts, read 5,107,812 times
Reputation: 17702
Quote:
Originally Posted by RetireinPA View Post
the fact that rational people even for fleeting moments, have such thoughts, show how bad it has gotten. The recent past gives credibility to these thoughts no? we have been growing so accustomed to the outright lies and fabrications joe et al foist on us, that we EXPECT it.
You are so right, and even as I thought it (and I am a rational person!) I said to myself, 'you've gone off the deep end, girl.' And then, but is it so far fetched? yikes....
It's a bit of a dark place for ME to be.....but I am trying to fight that.
Wish me luck.
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Old 01-31-2022, 08:05 AM
 
3,187 posts, read 1,501,191 times
Reputation: 3213
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
"Many bridges are eligible for federal matching funds"

THAT IS MY WHOLE POINT!!!!

They should NOT get fed money.

"In fact, if a bridge is part of the interstate system"

In FACT they are NOT!

I posted this before:

"States Own Interstate Highways — Not the Federal Government"

"The only exception is the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, which is currently under construction and spans Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 over the Potomac River; but once the old bridge is replaced, that ownership will be reverted to the states of Maryland, and Virginia — as well as the District of Columbia — all of which operate the bridge."

https://thegate.boardingarea.com/sta...her-fun-facts/

Only YOU are responsible for YOUR roads and bridges.

WHY HAVEN'T THEY?

Your STATE has a Transportation Dept that IS responsible. MONEY HAS been allocated for the MAINTENANCE of the roads and bridges.

"Michigan’s Transportation Budget
Michigan’s Transportation budget supports:
oState and local road and bridge programs
Construction and preservation of the state trunkline highway system
Funding for local road systems (83 road commissions and 531 cities and
villages)"

"FY 2019-20 Transportation Budget
Fund SourceFundingDescription
Gross Appropriations$5,021,408,000Total spending authority from all revenue sources

https://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDF/Briefings/MDOT_BudgetBriefing_fy19-20.pdf

YOU should ask YOUR representatives, "what HAPPENED to the MONEY?

It is NOT the responsibility for OTHER STATES taxpayer to PAY to fix YOUR bridges AND Roads.
I wasn't questioning the point of your post that the states are ultimately responsible. Just pointing out that the Federal Highways Administration allocates funds for the interstate systems too.

Let's also not forget we pay a Fed tax AND a state fuel tax at the pump. We are not getting anything "free". We are all paying the feds too.

There was a big update in 1976. Federal Aid Highway Program info below

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/highwayhistory/data/page08.cfm

Here is part of the problem: Fed money has been diverted by the states for new construction while maintenance has been ignored. States have issues with "priorities". That I agree is definitely a state issue and citizens need to put pressure on their reps. IME politicians are more interested in photo ops during ribbon cuttings for new roads and interchanges rather than focusing on the boring (but necessary) issues of maintenance. This has been an issue for a long time. Below explains the problems seen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tension Between Fixing the Old and Building the New
In recent years, most transportation agencies have delayed needed repairs and maintenance while focusing their energy on new construction. In 2008, all states combined spent more than $18 billion, or 30 percent of the federal transportation funds they received, to build new roads or add capacity to existing roads. In that same year, states spent $8.1 billion of federal funds on repair and rehabilitation of bridges, or about 13 percent of total funds. States currently have the ability to “flex” or transfer out up to 50 percent of their bridge repair money into other projects or programs.

https://t4america.org/maps-tools/bridges/overview/
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