August 8, 2011, on this blog: Inspection notices
“If there is no action by the state,” said Lou Magazzu, head of the New Jersey association of counties, “we can make signs, and we can put a sign up that says, “This bridge is structurally deficient as determined by the D.O.T. Call your state legislator.”
I actually like this idea, not just as a tactic in Jersey’s jurisdictional squabble, but for the whole country. I’d like to see this implemented nationwide as part of the National Bridge Inventory process. Let’s put up signs on every bridge — the equivalent of those inspection notices in every elevator — clearly informing the public of each bridge’s rating as provided by the inspectors and engineers from the FHA.
This would help to address the longer-term issue here. The main problem is not that we have 147,913 structurally deficient bridges in America. The deeper problem is that we do not seem to have a reliable maintenance system in place for this essential aspect of our infrastructure. Deferred infrastructure maintenance, like deferred health care, winds up being more expensive in the long run. We need to do more than just fix 147,913 bridges. We need to put in place a system that can perform, and fund, regular and ongoing maintenance and repair. Doing that will require convincing the public this is worthwhile, and that will require educating the public about the scope of this task.
I think Magazzu’s signs would be an excellent part of that public education.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In