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The U.S. Must Take Major Steps to Ensure the Safety of the Nation's Aging Bridge Infrastructure
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
48 kbps |
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(69 seconds)
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(OPEN):
OVER HALF OF AMERICA'S BRIDGES WERE BUILT BEFORE 19-64. AND, OF
THE 600-THOUSAND PUBLIC-ROAD BRIDGES IN THE COUNTRY, 74-THOUSAND--OR
ABOUT 12-PERCENT--ARE CLASSIFIED AS "STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT".
RAY MCCABE--NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF BRIDGE AND TUNNEL DESIGN FOR
ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE FIRM H-N-T-B--EXPLAINS THE
IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING THE NATION'S BRIDGES, IN THE WAKE OF THIS YEAR'S
COLLAPSE IN MINNEAPOLIS...
(MCCABE):
"THE 'I-35-W' BRIDGE COLLAPSE WAS A NATIONAL TRAGEDY--AND A
WAKE-UP CALL ON HOW WE INVEST IN OUR NATION'S BRIDGES. WHILE WE DO
NOT KNOW THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE COLLAPSE, WE DO KNOW THAT THE BRIDGE WAS
INSPECTED ACCORDING TO FEDERAL STANDARDS. THE WAY TO ENSURE THE
SAFETY OF OUR NATION'S AGING BRIDGE INFRASTRUCTURE IS: FIRST, A
CONSISTENT AND RATIONAL, RISK-BASED BRIDGE-INSPECTION PROGRAM; SECOND, A
DEDICATED FUNDING METHODOLOGY FOR STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT BRIDGES; AND
THIRD, USE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND MATERIALS. THE PROBABILITY
OF A BRIDGE FAILURE IS EXTREMELY LOW; HOWEVER, IT IS NOT ZERO.
LET'S NOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT FAILURE."
(CLOSE):
MCCABE RECENTLY TESTIFIED ABOUT THE ISSUE, IN FRONT OF A CONGRESSIONAL
SUBCOMMITTEE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
W-W-W-DOT-"H-N-T-B"-DOT-COM.
