Remember when everyone was getting uppity because some suggested that just maybe MN DoT being underfunded might have been a part of why 35w came down? I mean, it was fairly outlandish to suggest that infrastructure goes bad when underfunded…. Well, surprise!
Compounding the problems, the report said, was the fact that while MnDOT’s bridge experts were housed in one office, those responsible for inspecting and repairing the bridge were in another office miles away.
For Pawlenty and MnDOT, the harshest criticism may have come in the report’s finding that funding influenced decisions concerning the bridge. The decision to postpone a $13 million redecking — and instead proceed with a $3.5 million overlay that was underway when the bridge fell — meant “funding considerations deferred work on the bridge that would have improved its structural integrity, not just maintain its drivability,” the report concluded. [Strib]
On that note, let the comment war begin!
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Should anyone be surprised that the hand picked lawyers of Steve Murphy would come back with a report saying MNDOT was to blame? You can blame Pawlenty and Molnau all you want, but I don’t think it was their idea to keep the bridge inspectors miles away from the bridge experts. Why do we have that many layers of bureaucracy at MNDOT in the first place? As for the funding issue, it’s clear that the DFL was no better than Pawlenty at providing funding for bridges. Before the bridge collapse, Rep. James Oberstar had more money appropriate for bike trails than bridges at the federal level. And for years at the state level, the debate has been transit versus roads and bridges.
The bridge was poorly designed. I do not think the lawyers of Gray Plant Mooty would claim the gusset plates didn’t cause the bridge to collapse nor do I know of anything in their report that says we knew the design was bad and the gusset plates were vulnerable.
I don’t get why people care where the blame lays right now. Everyone should just accept some sort of responsibility and we should move onto getting the bridge built and ready for traffic again. I was talking to a fellow from MN Dot a week ago and he tod me the bridge could’ve been done before the RNC comes to St. Paul but the incentives aren’t there to build it that fast. Kind of sad.
Not related to this, but can we remove the comment moderation thing? Or maybe only force moderation onto usernames and ip addy’s that warrant them? It’s not quite the same as it used to be.
Hmm, looks like the moderation queue was removed. Good to know.
In 2000 and 2002 Ventura offered a Transportation bill that, over 10 years, would have revamped Minnesota’s road and bridge system and started building the mass transit infrastructure. Rather than allowing Jesse to have a victory on an issue, the Republicans and Democrats voted only for a one-time funding bill instead of a long term plan.
The Republicans and Democrats are to blame for this problem as this bridge would most likely have been repaired/replaced early on.
Once you’re approved by an admin, your IP doesn’t have to go through moderation anymore. Unless you post from a different IP, then it will. Although, if you register a login, you don’t have to be moderated from anywhere.
Chris, I agree 100%,
Nobody could have anticipated that bridge coming down.
Nobody could have anticipated the levees giving way.
Nobody could have anticipated they would fly airplanes into buildings either.
AND, nobody could have anticipated we would not be greeted as liberators.
Everyone knows anyone who believes otherwise is a liberal moonbat who hates America.
Great Job!
I think the reason there are many skeptics of a report like this is because the answer to any problem always seems to be funding.
Minnesota is a top five tax burden state in the nation. Top seven in some reports. I’ll use seven for this argument. And we’re the state that has a bridge fall down, and somehow, even though our tax burden is seventh in the nation, we need more funding for bridges. In our situation, being number seven in the nation somehow isn’t enough to keep our bridges up. The 43 states behind us don’t have this problem, but yet Minnesota’s answer needs to be to spend more money.
Maybe the Molnau DOT didn’t do their job. Maybe DOT’s before 2002 didn’t do theirs. Maybe the answer isn’t that there wasn’t enough money around, but that the money was spent foolishly. Maybe it was a design error.
I just have a hard time agreeing that with our tax burden seventh in the nation, the obvious answer is that we need to throw more money at it.
Minnesota is the middle of the pack for tax burden and at the bottom for return of Federal monies.
If the Democrats really think funding was the problem with the 35W bridge, than why do they insist on continueing the take transportation money and dump it onto light rail.
This session’s transportation bill was a classic example.
Minnesota also has relatively high income and education levels along with a fairly low cost of living. Anybody who is in favor of a progressive taxation system should be happy that a fairly well off state like Minnesota is paying our “fair share” to help those in less fortunate areas of the country. I mean, don’t people understand that paying out more in taxes than you get in direct return is part of living in a civilized society? If anything we should be putting massive tax increases on luxuries like hunting and fishing licenses, greens fees and beer in order to increase the amount we spend helping poorer countries educate their populations. We are after all the richest country in the world and have done nothing to deserve such lofty life styles.
“If anything we should be putting massive tax increases on luxuries like … greens fees and …”
KH, them’s FIGHTIN’ words…..
Chris - now how are you concluding the bridge inspectors were away from the bridge builders?
If there’s an agency to keep an eye on what’s going on - they’re probably INSPECTORS.
Can someone, preferably Chris,
explain why we have inspectors at all?