The 10 Pieces Of U.S. Infrastructure We Must Fix Now

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Popular Mechanics   |  By Erik Sofge and The Editors of Popular Mechanics   |   April 8, 2008 05:29 PM


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No one can predict what bridge, levee or water main will fail next. But some problems are widely known, and work is long overdue. As PM's new special report makes blatantly clear, we need to begin rebuilding the nation's infrastructure somewhere. Here are 10 great places to start.

Circle Interchange | Chicago

After years of being ranked two of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the country by groups like the American Highway Users Alliance, both the U.S. 101 at the I-405 Interchange in Los Angeles and the I-610 and I-10 Interchange in Houston are being revamped. But the third-worst spot for highway congestion, Chicago's Circle Interchange, is going nowhere. One parkway and three expressways meet here, and close to 300,000 vehicles a day are forced to reduce speed while navigating a network of tightly curved ramps. The result: an estimated 25 million hours in delays per year. A $975 million expansion project might relieve traffic on one of the expressways, but no plans have been announced to address the congested interchange itself.

Brooklyn Bridge | New York

It's the oldest suspension bridge still being used in the United States, and it is considered "structurally deficient" under the federal rating system. Officials don't fear a collapse of the Brooklyn Bridge-the main span appears to be sound-but some of the approaches to the structure have been marred by rusting steel and deteriorating road decks for many years. Repairs aren't due to start until 2010. If the country wants to signal that it's serious about infrastructure, it has to take care of its national icons.

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Why should we fix our own infrastructure when Iraq's is so much more important? We need to make life safe for American businesses in Iraq first, no matter how many thousands of lives or billions of dollars it takes.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:15 AM on 04/09/2008

we will fix our infrastructure the same way we are fixing iraq's infrastructure.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:12 AM on 04/09/2008

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, but I don't think we fix stuff unless the military bombs it first.

**

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:55 AM on 04/09/2008

Republicans = Domestic Failure

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:01 AM on 04/09/2008

EXACTLY! Let's fix the roads we got instead of spending BILLIONS on I-66 in Kentucky! Let's put all those $$ we don't have towards improving traffic congestion WHERE ITS NEEDED instead of building a new interstate through the Daniel Boone National Forest, parallelling an existing underused & unrepaired (watch out for that pothole, it'll eat yr car!) state hwy 80. Please visit www.kick66.org for more info on Hal Roger's favorite PORK project, we've already spent almost $$$100 MILLION on this boondoggle and NOT A SINGLE SHOVELFUL OF DIRT has been turned for KY I-66 construction.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:34 AM on 04/09/2008

Sorry, try this link:
http://www.kick66.org

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:40 AM on 04/09/2008

Here's an idea - don't fix anything that automobiles use.

We need mass transit - let's build that instead of enabling an obsolete transportation paradigm.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:13 AM on 04/09/2008

thats going to work for me in the middle of Appalachia, great!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:11 AM on 04/09/2008

Horse and buggy for you.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:14 AM on 04/09/2008

*

hmmmm, I'm sure after next 100 years if still there is any country that we can borrow money from, then someone will fix the US Infrastructure!!!!!!!

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    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:55 PM on 04/08/2008

Building roads, schools, and public works in Iraq is winning hearts and minds...

Building roads, schools, and public works here is a bunch of liberal, commie, socialistic, support the homosexual agenda talk.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:53 PM on 04/08/2008

Well said.

**

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:56 AM on 04/09/2008

If we don"t fix the infrastructure over there --- we"re going to have to fix it here !!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:02 PM on 04/08/2008

what are you doing for the infrastructure.... were do you live anyway?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:10 PM on 04/08/2008

---- and with competitive bid contracts.

Halliburton could starve!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:06 PM on 04/08/2008

Warning, these are "state" issues

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:58 PM on 04/08/2008

At least in Chicago example there are interstate highways involved, which makes it a local, state and federal issue.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:59 AM on 04/09/2008

"The 10 Pieces Of U.S. Infrastructure We Must Fix Now"

They left off the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:48 PM on 04/08/2008

Veteran's Affairs might be a good idea for funding as well, since we'll hopefully have a lot of them coming home soon and they should be well taken care of.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:17 AM on 04/09/2008

The infrastructure is deteriorating daily yet Bush's trickle down economics equates to bloated deficits, wars and intrusions into other nations business's. Our upper crust is satisfied and that is all that matters, hell their getting richer while fat on overseas investments. These elite are not of the norm, they are your leaders and tell you when to jump.. JUMP.

It is really obnoxious when you have, blue collar and while collar occupations equating to separate legal parameters, atrocious disparities in income for work performed, cronyism, corruption and the list is endless. The little guy will arise when he has had enough. When I heard Niel Cavuto say it should be illegal for truckers to strike since it would harm the nation, I pondered, what a pompous ass who thinks independent truckers should not make a living wage, it's all going to gas. Oh our elitist.. If a trucker reads this, promote with your brethren a nationwide trucking strike. Shut out this obnoxious fat cats by crashing their investments and demand a living wage while they get rich on your back every single day.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:37 PM on 04/08/2008

Bush's brain and Cheney's pacemaker need fixing-nah too far gone to fix! Just Junk them-like the totally wrecked cars who get that "honor'!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:33 PM on 04/08/2008

Some things are too far gone to fix - and I suspect that Bush's brain (and I don't mean Karl Rove) is beyond repair. It's not as far gone as many think - its just the areas that have to do with conscience, kindness, and consideration for the welfare of other human beings that are deficient and beyond repair.

As far as Cheney - I hope he lives long enough to enjoy a stint at Club Fed in Levenworth KS. Then I hope the waranty on his pacemaker batteries runs out.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:16 PM on 04/08/2008

Not so fast. We need to fix the Iraqi infrastructure first. Their safety comes first. Their needs come first.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:05 PM on 04/08/2008

OH crap sigh. I'm young I just want to thank the boomers and the "greatest generation" for settling me a twenty something w/ more problems than they were given.

I can't even imagine having kids right now (tear) I don't know what type of future my generation can give kids when we got all this sh*t to deal with.

Thanks so much!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:37 PM on 04/08/2008

Hey, don't blame the Boomers, blame the Republicans and the Federal Reserve system begun in 1913 by Paul Warburg, John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and unconstitutionally authorized by Woodrow Wilson, who decided to systematically rob the United States Treasury and send all the money to Europe and the Middle East . They have basically let America rot for close to 100 years.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:34 PM on 04/08/2008

your welcome. not sure i qualify as a boomer but close born two weeks before second world war.

it was greed all greed.

look deep into american style capitalism and you will find your culprit.

systems and structure do influence human behavior.

captialism must self destruct you are witnessing that self destruction. enjoy.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:53 PM on 04/08/2008

This is what Obama needs to say: A New New deal. The Hardball question basically functions like this, is there a way to bring back the job a regular guiy, a guy who finishes high school doesn't want to go to college or can't afford it, a guy who wants to take care of his family and work hard every day. Is there a way to get this guy a job that makes him middle class in America. The short answer is yes. The New New Deal is the rebuilding of America. We need to put people to work. You want a job, we have one, building new high speed rail lines, new highways, new bridges. Any school not build or rehabed in the last five years gets torn down an rebuilt from the ground up. New fiber optic everything, new high speed everything. And after 25 years when it is all done, when we've built everything on the list over and new, we have to start again because guess what it is 25 years later and everything is falling down. It will create a boom job wise, it will allow every person to work who wants to or who can. Men women all races all creeds everyone works today.

J

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:18 PM on 04/08/2008

No sub-contractors who hire illegals, otherwise, it's useless.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:25 PM on 04/08/2008

Very true.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:41 PM on 04/08/2008

Please be patient. Let's not forget that Uncle Sam has a lot of work to do helping out his many neighbors throughout the world, neighbors who seem always to be fighting with one another. He is determined to replace bullets with ballots and make the world safe for Democracy. So, you see, he might not find time to help his own folks for quite a few years.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:58 PM on 04/08/2008

The Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle is in bad shape. And they get earthquakes there.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:51 PM on 04/08/2008

We have to start with population control. Otherwise we will never "catch up".

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:46 PM on 04/08/2008

Not to worry if we pray hard enough Jesus will appear and fix them.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:41 PM on 04/08/2008
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