# American Infrastructure Repair & Construction Boom?



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*US infrastructure rebuilding faces politics, money hurdles *

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The deadly collapse of a Minneapolis bridge may trigger a repair and construction boom, but politics and financing could stall rebuilding, engineering and construction experts said on Wednesday. 

But the industry may be in trouble over the longer term because the numbers of engineering students are dropping. 

Renewed attention on the nation's aging infrastructure was triggered by the Aug. 1 collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge, killing five people, with eight other probable victims listed as missing. Officials demanded inspections of thousands of suspect bridges across the country. 

"We have to look at infrastructure across the U.S. regardless of the bridge collapse. It comes down to funding and political willpower," said Greg Therrien, president of infrastructure at Idaho-based construction company Washington Group International Inc . 

Bridge repairs are the immediate focus, but growing pressure for new highways, rail lines, power grids and other projects to support highly populated areas will drive new work, he said. 

Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton proposed an emergency infrastructure plan on Wednesday that would include $10 billion over 10 years to repair more than 60,000 bridges designated structurally deficient by the Federal Highway Administration. 

The American Society of Civil Engineers in a 2005 report, however, said it will cost more than $9 billion a year for 20 years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies. 

The total tab to lift all the nation's infrastructure to good condition is estimated at $1.6 trillion over five years. 

The report gave a "C" to the bridges, while the the power grid, dams, roads, water systems and school buildings each got a "D" and infrastructure security an "incomplete." 

COMPANIES EAGER TO BUILD 

Companies expected to get a boost in the near term from state and federal reconstruction efforts include Jacobs Engineering Group Inc , Quanta Services Inc , Fluor Corp , URS Corp , Washington Group, Shaw Group Inc , KBR Inc and AECOM Technology Corp , KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Tahira Afzal said in a recent research note. 

Privately-held Bechtel Corp and overseas companies such as Spain's Cintra and Australia's Macquarie Bank also are likely beneficiaries. 

A speed-up in infrastructure spending will depend on funding plans, such as programs tapping both private and public money, which could take time to put together. 

The U.S. is moving toward higher public-private partnerships to build toll roads and other public assets, but it is a slow process, Afzal said. 

Washington Group's Therrien said the bridge collapse may lead to changes in state and federal regulatory processes and financing changes. 

"The safety issue is a catalyst, but the answer is where the money is to accelerate the work," he said. 

A secondary issue is whether over the years the U.S. will have the people to do the work. 

Engineering students are not seeking posts with state and federal agencies involved in infrastructure, said William Ibbs, professor of civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Undergraduates majoring in civil engineering fell more than 10 percent from 1992 to 2002, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. 

"Engineering students want to work with well-paying electronic companies and we're also seeing civil engineering students go on to law or business school," Ibbs added.


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## godblessbotox (Jan 3, 2006)

about fucking time. now maybe californ I A can get some asianesque high speed rail while there at it


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## Jean Luc (Mar 23, 2006)

If Georgie boy hadn't gone off on his little Iraq misadventure that money could have easily covered the cost of repairing existing infrastructure, and perhaps build some new stuff too, including some new public transit systems which might have reduced U.S. reliance on oil.

BTW, how much has the war cost so far, trillions??


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## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

Boom ...???


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## FM 2258 (Jan 24, 2004)

Our infrastructure used to be the best in the world and the sad reality is that it's pretty shitty. While other countries have high speed rail between their important cities we have Amtrak that takes you between Washington and Boston. It's a real shame in my opinion. At least in Texas they're trying to do things right by building brand new tollways in the metro areas.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Lawmaker calls for commission on NYC infrastructure *
12 August 2007

NEW YORK (AP) - Lawmakers called Sunday for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to set up a commission to study the city's crumbling infrastructure, citing last summer's blackout, last month's steam pipe blast and last week's subway shutdown. 

"When disaster strikes, our ability to remain safe and functional depends on the steps we have taken to prepare for instances of tragedy," said City Councilman David Weprin, chairman of the council's Finance Committee. 

Weprin said the Aug. 1 collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis was another cause for concern. 

"It's something that we don't expect to happen here, but there's no question that we need to maintain our bridges at a much more aggressive stand than we have had," he said. 

City Comptroller William Thompson, who joined Weprin on the steps of City Hall, said he supported the creation of the commission, which would examine the conditions of assets owned by the city and by private entities such as utility Consolidated Edison.

"Let's take a look at the need, and let's move in the direction of how we finance it and how it gets done," Thompson said. 

Weprin said Bloomberg's plan for managing the city's growth through 2030, called PlaNYC, did not address infrastructure issues adequately. 

But Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said, "We've already spent 300,000 hours over the last 18 months creating PlaNYC, which is a master plan to meet the city's infrastructure, transit, environmental and other needs. We don't need another commission to study the problems, we need funding for the solutions, and we welcome any and all help in that area." 

A Con Ed blackout one year ago affected more than 100,000 people in Western Queens. The utility has been under fire more recently for the steam pipe explosion near Grand Central Terminal that caused one death and forced nearby businesses to close for weeks. 

Weprin said that under his proposal, Con Ed and other utilities would participate in the commission. 

Con Ed spokeswoman Elizabeth Clark said only, "We will continue to work closely will all elected officials and agencies." 

Also on Sunday, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner and City Councilman John Liu said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should move ahead with plans to wire the subway system for cell phone use. 

They said cell phone service could have allowed the MTA to inform riders via text message of the shutdown of most subway lines caused by Wednesday's violent storm. 

Telecommunications companies submitted bids in January 2006 to wire the system's 277 subway stations for cell phone use. The MTA has not yet chosen a proposal.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

American gas taxes are 24 times lower than the Dutch ones. No wonder you can't pay for the road infrastructure! However, i think our taxes are way too high, very overdone. We pay over $ 4 dollars a gallon for taxes alone.


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## rantanamo (Sep 12, 2002)

FM 2258 said:


> Our infrastructure used to be the best in the world and the sad reality is that it's pretty shitty. While other countries have high speed rail between their important cities we have Amtrak that takes you between Washington and Boston. It's a real shame in my opinion. At least in Texas they're trying to do things right by building brand new tollways in the metro areas.


Yet, no other nation has the interconnective air system that we have in the states.

The problem with US infrastructure is that it is absolutely huge and continues to expand, which makes repair monies harder to find. If we didn't feel compelled to expand Hwy 121 or 380 in the northern fringes of the DFW metro, perhaps we could completely overhaul what is currently existing to carry traffic more efficiently as well as adding extensive rail. We won't stop expanding. That's the problem.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Jean Luc said:


> If Georgie boy hadn't gone off on his little Iraq misadventure that money could have easily covered the cost of repairing existing infrastructure, and perhaps build some new stuff too, including some new public transit systems which might have reduced U.S. reliance on oil.
> 
> BTW, how much has the war cost so far, trillions??


3/10th of a trillion so far


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

I agree too, we built 75,000KM of divided, controlled access interstates, which are among the 256,000 National Highway System.

That's only a small portion of the 6,400,000KM of roadways in the United States. It's fun to build them, but the sad fact is you still have to pay out a LOT of money just to keep those existing roads in good shape. That's something we're bad at. We like to build, we don't like to maintain.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

almost 100.000 km are up to freeway-standards in the United States. A lot of US and State Routes are also up to freeway-standards.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*U.S. infrastructure needs rise as floods recede *

CHICAGO, July 31 (Reuters) - A $1.6 trillion bill is coming due across the United States as governments face the daunting task of repairing roads, bridges and other parts of an aging infrastructure.

It is a problem exacerbated by the floods that spread misery across the Midwest this year, and one bound to squeeze budgets hit by the economic downturn all the more.

State transportation officials in the flood zone say roads and bridges that did not wash away have been inspected and temporary repairs have made them passable.

But the cost of permanent repairs on hundreds of miles (kilometres) of flood-damaged roads and other infrastructure is still being assessed, with some of it to be passed on to the federal government.

That won't address the immediate needs in hard-hit Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where hundreds of displaced residents and businesses have dim prospects of resuming life as normal.

The Cedar River spilled into 10 square miles (26 sq km) of the city of 123,000 residents. More than 18,000 people were affected, and Cedar Rapids may need $3 billion to recover.

For the United States as a whole, civil engineers say the nation's unpaid $1.6 trillion infrastructure repair bill is overdue. The flood damage to bridges, roads, public buildings and other facilities will only add to the tally.

'BUILD IT TODAY'

"One of the problems with infrastructure spending is we tend to treat it as an operating expense as opposed to a capital investment," Northwestern University civil engineering professor Joseph Schofer said.

"Everything is 'build it today' and once that's done, forget about that and build something else," he said.

Schofer said he did not anticipate a spike in bridge failures due to the flooding, but the scouring from rushing water can weaken bridge foundations and may be hard to detect.

Bridge failures have been blamed for 47 U.S. deaths in the last 20 years -- 13 in the collapse a year ago in Minneapolis.

State transportation officials issued an estimate this week that at least $140 billion was needed to make major repairs or upgrades to 152,000 of the nation's 590,000 bridges -- one in four -- deemed deficient. The spans that were built to last 50 years are on average 43 years old.

Projections indicate bridges will carry more traffic in coming years. The amount of freight is to double by 2025 to 31 million tonnes per year, with more than half shipped by truck.

To keep up with transportation needs, public and private spending on transit infrastructure will need to increase by $20 billion a year from the $106 billion spent in 2006, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress.

LACK OF FUNDING

But in the midst of a sagging economy, governments lack the funds to get the job done.

The Federal Highway Administration, which covers roughly 80 percent of the cost of rehabilitating ruined highways, bridges and roads, has a $700 million backlog in reimbursing states.

The fund receives $100 million annually and the backlog should not delay repair work, a spokesman said.

"There are many countries (in Europe) doing very strategic and systematic infrastructure planning ... . We're not doing that," Schofer said.

European nations cooperate to build complementary networks of roads and rails, and emerging economic powers China and India are spending heavily on infrastructure.

U.S. spending on roads, bridges and passenger rail amounts to 0.6 percent of gross domestic product, compared to China's 9 percent and the European Union's 3.5 percent.

NO SHORTAGE OF PROPOSALS

Some in Congress argue that spending to rebuild infrastructure would be a more effective boost to the faltering economy than the recent round of stimulus checks. Critics say construction projects take too long to have an economic impact.

Other suggestions to generate revenue for infrastructure include increasing the federal gas tax, charging tolls on more roads, creating an "infrastructure bank" to dole out low-cost loans, or selling or leasing toll roads to the private sector as has been done in Chicago and Indiana.

Meanwhile, there are urgent needs in Cedar Rapids.

The damaged water treatment plant is sending sewage into the Cedar River, a railroad bridge washed away, scores of houses need to be torn down and some downtown buildings may have to be demolished. Public buildings including the jail and a school were ruined.

"The adrenaline phase is over and the reality phase is settling in and it's not a very pretty reality in a lot of cases," said Lee Clancey of the city's chamber of commerce.


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## hoosier (Apr 11, 2007)

Yes America has a lot of infrastructure but it has the world's largest economy so it can fucking pay to maintain it.

Congress finds $70 billion a year for killing Iraqis and lining contractor pockets but a $700 million backlog in federal transportation funding is not addressed.hno:

PRIORITIES PEOPLE!!!!


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## G5man (Jul 28, 2008)

As I like to say, our Congress is nothing more than a bunch of Bush cronies.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*ANALYSIS-Infrastructure goes unloved at U.S. conventions *

ST. PAUL, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Not far from the site of a deadly Minnesota bridge collapse, infrastructure investment was hardly mentioned when Republicans gathered to nominate Sen. John McCain for president.

It was a similar story at the Democratic National Convention last week in Denver where Sen. Barack Obama accepted his party's presidential nomination with a speech that spoke only in passing of rebuilding U.S. cities.

Both political parties acknowledge that modernizing transportation, power grids, air traffic control and other public services is vital but the task of paying for it all is falling increasingly to cities, states or the private sector rather than the U.S. federal government.

Municipal governments are struggling to meet existing obligations because the housing bust and weakening economy have hurt property and sales tax revenues, and the credit crisis has made borrowing costlier.

Many states are looking at selling or leasing highways, bridges or airports to fill budget holes.

"The real story is there's no money," said Norman Anderson, chief executive officer of CG/LA Infrastructure in Washington, which consults on infrastructure projects. "The federal budget is obligated to the tune of 70 to 75 percent at the start of every year. There's very little discretionary money available."

Anderson said infrastructure was not among the top five priorities for either candidate. That may be because it isn't first and foremost in voters' minds either, falling well behind wider economic worries and the Iraq war.

Even in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where construction on the Interstate 35 bridge serves as a daily reminder of infrastructure needs, it wasn't the primary concern among several voters interviewed by Reuters.

"It's not my number one priority but it's up there," said Emily Jerve, 29, an agriculture research analyst based in the Twin Cities who said she was "leaning" toward voting for Democrats. "It's a concern for safety reasons."

On Aug. 1 last year, the eight-lane bridge on Interstate 35 collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100. The bridge had been labeled "structurally deficient" by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

WILLING BUT UNABLE

Florida Rep. John Mica, the highest-ranking Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, toured the bridge reconstruction on Wednesday and hailed it as a model for federal projects.

"It normally takes at least seven to eight years to undertake an infrastructure project of this magnitude, but the new I-35 bridge was contracted to be designed and completed in 437 days," he said.

Mica said following that pattern in other projects could dramatically lower costs. "This will be our goal in the next highway bill, which is scheduled for renewal in 2009," he said.

At the state level, there is no shortage of support for infrastructure from both ends of the political spectrum. Securing the money to pay for it is another story.

Earlier this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a coalition to promote infrastructure spending, and pegged the need at more than $1 trillion over the next five years.

Federal infrastructure investment has accounted for a declining share of non-defense spending since 1966, the coalition said. Between 1956 and 1966, it represented about 10 percent. In the past 20 years, it has averaged between 3.5 percent to 4 percent.

Congressional Budget Office research shows that the federal government shouldered only about 15 percent of the infrastructure spending burden in 2004.

Of the more than $400 billion spent that year, federal funds accounted for $60 billion, CBO director Peter Orszag said in July 10 testimony before Congress. State and local governments paid for 42 percent and the rest came from the private sector.

INFRASTRUCTURE BONDS

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue criticized the Bush Administration for not paying much attention to infrastructure needs, which he said were vital to supporting U.S. economic growth.

"I have to say we had a hard time with this president," he told reporters in St. Paul on Tuesday. "They looked out the window and said, 'Oh, a plane went by, I heard a train, the cars are running, everything's fine,' because they had so many other things on their plate. They saw that as a tax bill and it certainly is not."

He said he was optimistic that the next administration -- regardless of which party wins the Nov. 4 election -- would recognize that something needed to be done.

Anderson, the CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure, said the most viable option under consideration was a federal infrastructure bank that Obama has backed. While the proposal is short on specifics, the basic idea is to sell government bonds to support infrastructure investment.

"There's a huge amount of money in China and the Middle East. They would love to buy nice, safe bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. We would love to have that money put into infrastructure projects," he said.


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## serendip finder (Jun 17, 2008)

I bet America would be hard pressed to fund the rehabilitation of its infrastructure, let alone expand it in a major way. Its consumption-based economy and popular politics disemphasizes long-term investment. Infrastructure is always a long-term proposition with little short-term benefit.

The America that built a vast rail network, and then built a massive highway network is very different from the America now, IMHO.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Pipelines race out of the mountains; into yards *
1 December 2008

DENVER (AP) - In the push toward more U.S. energy independence, massive infrastructure projects that will help to deliver it have clashed with cherished rights of land ownership.

Proven natural gas reserves have jumped 10 of the past 11 years, according to the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration, and thousands of miles (kilometers) of new pipelines have snaked in every direction.

In just the past 10 years alone, more than 20,000 miles (32,180 kilometers) of new natural gas pipelines have been built and brought on line. Those pipelines can carry more than 97 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day.

The owners of property over which new pipelines are planned are concerned about leaks into water and soil, land damaged by construction, land lost to a right of way and, in some cases, even loss of livelihood.

Those concerns range from a Midwestern horse farm which stands to lose grazing land, to Betty Wahle's family vineyard in Yamhill, Oregon.

Her land is actually ground zero for not one, but two pipelines. The developers would dig up chunks of rich dirt and some vines that have been nurtured for more than three decades, she said.

Those vines, said Wahle, 68, would not be restored to their current state in her lifetime.

"It's just going to be devastating," she said.

The bulk of the new natural gas supply is in the energy-rich Rockies and Texas. Producers are sinking traditional oil and gas wells and drilling into coal-bed methane reserves in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. In Texas, it's the Barnett Shale, a 6,000-square- mile (15,540-square-kilometer) bedrock region of natural gas, and the Bossier Sands tight-gas formation.

Between 1998 and 2006, natural gas production in these two regions jumped 96 percent and proved natural gas reserves climbed 127 percent, government statistics show.

There are currently about 288,000 miles (463,469 kilometers) of gas pipelines with a capacity of 187 billion cubic feed per day.

From 2008 to 2010, about 200 projects have been proposed to add 10,100 more miles (16,200 more kilometers), according to the Energy Information Administration.

If all are finished, America's natural gas capacity will jump by more than 38 percent, the EIA said, at an overall cost of about $28 billion.

But the massive expansion comes as energy use is decreasing, which could lead to its own bust and boom cycle on prices, said E. Russell Braziel, managing director of Bentek Energy, an energy markets information company based.

"With additional infrastructure construction being completed and new projects coming online over the next few years, we expect to see significant volatility in regional price differentials for a while to come," he wrote.

The behemoth of the new pipelines is the $4 billion Rockies Express, a joint venture by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, a unit of Sempra Energy and ConocoPhillips.

Construction of the 1,679-mile (2,700-kilometer), 42-inch (106-centimeter) pipeline began two years ago about 160 miles (257 kilometers) northwest of Denver.

Buried under 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) of earth, the Rockies Express is expected to reach Clarion County, Ohio, by next summer.

The pipeline will have the capacity to move 1.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, and will send it to markets east of the Mississippi River.

When the massive construction project worked its way through rural, sparsely populated areas there was little protest. That has changed as it approaches more urban areas in the Midwest.

Near Lancaster, Ohio, Scott McClelland said the Rockies Express will restrict access to cattle and put a kink his children's plans to buy nearby property for another farm.

"It'll never be the same I guarantee you," he said.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the plans, leaving McClelland resigned to the development.

"What am I going to do? I can't sit out there and fight; I've got to make a living," McClelland said.

Natural gas in the United States is plentiful, and so are its backers. They say natural gas will serve as a bridge until renewable energy technology can be developed more.

But as natural gas is shipped from West to East, the pipelines intersect with plans that people have made for their own livelihoods.

The Rockies Express will also likely cross farm where University of Dayton biology professor John Rowe and his wife, Robbie, planned to raise race horses.

The couple settled with developers on the advice of their attorney, but say it will take up to five years to rebuild pastures to grazing quality.

Rockies Express spokesman Allen Fore said they have worked with federal and state officials throughout the process and accommodated requests where they could. He said the natural gas is pressurized so it won't leak into the ground and if there is some type of impact, the pipeline shuts down automatically.

"We have made literally hundreds of adjustments, minor adjustments, to deal with landowner concerns," he said. "Most folks believe we give them a fair price. They understand the significance of this project."

Some of the projects, while less likely to play a role in someone's livelihood, can change the landscape for others.

Owners of summer homes in the Scare Canyon Ranch area are worried by El Paso Corp.'s proposed Ruby Pipeline in northeastern Utah, which would require a 150-foot (45-meter) wide swath of trees be cut down during construction.

Ray Gibbons, head of the canyon ranch homeowners association also said there are 22 underground springs that the association owns, which he said may be threatened by the 42-inch pipe.

"They've been pretty decent about trying to work with us but if they get FERC backing, then there will be no stopping it," he said.

On a steep hillside in northwest Oregon, the Wahle family planted their first vines in the 1970s on a 100-acre (40-hectare) plot.

Developers have proposed routes across the property for the 220-mile (354-kilometer), 36-inch (91-centimeter) pipeline which would connect TransCanada's system in central Oregon with NW Natural's distribution system. It is pending federal authorization.

Oregon Pipeline Co., which said it always tries to work closely with landowners, has proposed a 117-mile (188-kilometer) pipeline that also could cross the vineyard.

"They won't allow us to replant vines above the pipelines," she said. "There's very little that you could actually do with this piece of property."


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Half of U.S. roads in poor shape - highway officials *

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - Half of the roads in the United States are in bad condition, and in some urban areas that proportion is closer to 60 percent, according to a new report.

Some 72 percent of the interstate highways, though, are considered in good condition, according to the the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Urban drivers may be shouldering the biggest burden of the dilapidated roads. Those in cities with populations of more than 250,000 pay an average of $746 each year on vehicle repairs, new tires and additional fuel consumption, nearly double the $335 the average U.S. motorist pays.

Population surges in certain cities and suburbs, combined with the rising cost of road repair, have all led to the wear and tear, AASHTO said. Freight truck traffic has also taken a toll on the roads.

AASHTO released the report as the U.S. Congress drafts the blueprint for federal spending on surface transportation for the next five years.

The trade group said that billions of dollars for repair should be included in the bill and warned that many Americans may think the stimulus plan enacted in February, which put a little less than $50 billion toward transportaion, would put the country's roads back in shape.

AASHTO estimates the government should invest $166 billion in highways and bridges each year, and that half of that should go to maintenance.


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## Tri-ring (Apr 29, 2007)

I believe the "Don't fix it if it's not broken" mentality combined with hate towards socialism and "taxation is necessary evil" mind-set by majority of American people is the underlying problem to this.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

I think the problem lies in the fact that many Americans lack understanding or underestimate the dire conditions of the infrastructure here. It's a mess, notwithstanding the massive costs that are needed to bring it up to date, and I am not sure if some are willing to stomach that. But this benign ignorance will eventually hurt us one day (if that Minneapolis bridge disaster or Katrina wasn't enough).

It's just a matter of time, really.


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