The I-35 Bridge may have had a design that would not support the 'DEMANDS' of the bridge, BUT, that was not the fault of the engineer, it was the fact that a bridge built in 1967 was OVER-EXTENDED in its use and it was never, ever updated or stated to be INSUFFICIENT for the traffic it would come to serve.
In 1967, the Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge (click title to entry - thank you) in Minneapolis opened to traffic. The bridge was 1,907 feet long, had 14 spans, and by 2007 carried a daily average of 140,000 total vehicles north and south over four lanes between University Avenue and Washington Avenue. The vehicle count made it one of the busiest bridges in the country over the Mississippi River, and one of three principal arteries into downtown Minneapolis, a city with one of the highest population densities in the Midwest....
President Obama is absolutely correct. The infrastructure of the USA is sadly in need of repair. The I-35 Bridge was NEVER designed to withstand the rigors of its demands. The reason BUSH's Executive Branch focused on 'failure' of a gusset is because there would be demands for monies for USA infrastructure spending rather than his burgeoning emergency with Goldman Sachs.
The BRIDGE failed (click here) and the place where it 'gave way' was probably predictable given the high demand FORTY YEARS LATER !!! The lives lost that day were never given sufficient justice, just excuses.Treasury Secretary John Snow Resigns (click here)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
...In the latest turnover in his administration, Bush called Paulson a "superb addition to my Cabinet," one who comes from one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.
“Mr. President, if confirmed, I look forward to working with you, your administration, and the Congress to help keep the American economy strong and competitive,” Paulson said.
Snow’s departure comes after more than a year of rumors and speculation that he would leave when Bush began making changes to his White House staff earlier this year....
Home prices drop for third straight quarter (click here)
Realtors report that markets are still softening
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. home prices fell for their third straight quarter, according to an industry report released Tuesday.
The median price of a single-family home fell 1.8 percent to $212,300 for the three months ended March 31, compared with the first quarter of 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)....
Drop Foreseen in Median Price of U.S. Homes (click here)
The median price of American homes is expected to fall this year for the first time since federal housing agencies began keeping statistics in 1950.
...While the housing slump has already rattled financial markets, it has so far had only a modest effect on consumer spending and economic growth. But forecasters now believe that its impact will lead to a slowdown over the next year or two.
“For most people, this is not a disaster,” said Nigel Gault, an economist with Global Insight, a research firm in Waltham, Mass. “But it’s enough to cause them to pull back.”...
The median price of a single-family home fell 1.8 percent to $212,300 for the three months ended March 31, compared with the first quarter of 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)....
Drop Foreseen in Median Price of U.S. Homes (click here)
...While the housing slump has already rattled financial markets, it has so far had only a modest effect on consumer spending and economic growth. But forecasters now believe that its impact will lead to a slowdown over the next year or two.
“For most people, this is not a disaster,” said Nigel Gault, an economist with Global Insight, a research firm in Waltham, Mass. “But it’s enough to cause them to pull back.”...
