Why are our bridges so old and unsafe in the USA?

Question

I thought we were avery rich country? why cant we take care of our infrastructure?

Answer 1

many reasons, but I will just give you 2 examples.

See iraq war spending. I think we are up to half a trillion dollars now. Also see the 14 million dollars a day we "give" to Israel.

We are a rich country. But our priorities is what decides where the money is spent. Things like education, border security, healthcare, medicare, infrastructure, are very low on our list of things that are considered important.

Answer 2

Answer: NO! Time, much like the traffic across a bridge, marches on...Thats why they age, You have not a clue do you!
Cities, counties, and states decide how, when and where most structures of this type are constructed...Adding the waste and bad decisions of the aforementioned...Could one make the logical assumption that you were attempting a low and cheap shot at the present American Federal administration.
Your punctuation aside, America is definitely a "avery rich country?"..."Avery" in like why did LBJ kill JFK?
The world may never Know!

Answer 3

There are two bridges here where I live that are less then 10 years old. Since the population of the county that I live in is less then 10,000 these bridges don't get a lot of traffic. See this is just one more advantage to life in the small town.

Answer 4

Well, it's for a variety of reasons. Like some of the oldest and unsafest bridges are in less populised areas with smaller budget then the larger cities. So unless the federal or state government steps in and provides the money needed to repair the bridges in less populised places, the bridges aren't going to be as safe as say bridges in New York City. Also, a bridge also collapsed this year in Montreal, Canada. Which is a pretty populated city with 3,000,000+ people. So these things can happen anywhere.

Answer 5

Unfortunately the US, while playing policeman to the rest of the world , allocates an astronomical amount of funding to the Defense dept. to develop and purchase redundant equipment. Best example: the shameful proliferation of nukes. A responsible system of government or citizens for that matter would vote for someone to bring back spending to the balance point and earmark and see thru , the spending for repairs to our infra structure, health care and social security. If any of you ever are interested in reliving the fall of Rome or other great empires, well you are certainly seeing it first hand here. Destruction from within, while certain politicians laugh all the way to the bank.

Answer 6

How often do you think we should replace a bridge? Every ten years?

Where was the press on this one? Never heard about this problem until Thusday, then all of a sudden there are official reports all over the place on bridge safety. There is a little bridge in my county going over a creek that the local press has dug up a safety report on finding it deficient------Hell anybody that has drove across it in the last ten years knew that.

Answer 7

Because most such spending is attacked in the media as wasteful -- or pointless.

it's not that we cannot spend the money -- politicians just refuse to because fixing roads and sewers and bridges doesn't get them the kind of attention that keeps them reelected.

Answer 8

It is called politics, all the way down to the county, township and city level.

Answer 9

Because you city and state leaders are diverting funds that's why.

Answer 10

dont trust the media they exaderate and try to scare the public