July 21, 2015
By The Editorial Board
Last month the House passed an appropriations bill (click here) that would put bigger trucks with overworked drivers behind the wheel
on the nation’s highways. If that weren’t irresponsible enough, the
Senate is now considering legislation
that would allow trucking companies to hire 18-year-old drivers for
interstate routes and undermine safety on roads and railroads in
numerous other ways.
American infrastructure is old and I already know it is not up to heavier trucks. There is a lot that goes into determining weight limits for trucks including speed limits, bridge limits and engineered turning in road tilt.
The reason 21 is the age for interstate commerce is because state regulations are different. The age of 21 also guarantees the driver has a few years of experience before driving interstate.
Even
by the low standards of the current Congress, these bills are egregious
examples of faithfully saying yes to everything industry wants, in this
case the transportation companies. The Senate is expected to take up
its disingenuously named Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015 this week as part of a larger transportation package that reauthorizes federal agencies and programs....
Idaho tried to cover up this episode in failing infrastructure by stating the Washington bridge was unique and not built well enough to avoid such an accident. They lied. Idaho has horrible transportation infrastructure. Now, with these measures Congress is going to swear to it.
January 21, 2015
By Zach Kyle
In May 2013, (click here) a semitrailer from Alberta was crossing a bridge on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Wash., when the top of the truck nicked the overhead beams of the four-lane, steel-truss bridge. The first of the bridge's four sections buckled, then collapsed 25 feet into the Skagit River, taking three vehicles and their drivers with it.
Built in 1955, the bridge was rated "functionally obsolete" on the National Bridge Inventory in 2013, meaning it was "no longer by design functionally adequate for its task." Its collapse drew attention to the fact that the Mount Vernon bridge was in no worse shape than many others in the nation.
Idaho has 453 such bridges. And it has 406 more designated as "structurally deficient," meaning at least one component is in poor condition, such as the deck, support beams or girders. Neither condition is necessarily worse than the other, and picking between the two can be a judgment call for highway engineers....
The state of Washington will probably lose the lawsuit since the weakest aspect to the accident was the bridge.
A $17 million lawsuit has been filed by the Washington State Department
of Transportation to recover costs related to the Skagit River bridge
collapse.
February 2, 2015
Olympia, Washington
A $17 million lawsuit (click here) has been filed by the Washington State Department of Transportation to recover costs related to the 2013 Skagit River bridge collapse.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Skagit County Superior Court, according to a news release from the agency. It names four parties as responsible: the truck driver whose oversized truck hit the bridge; the driver's employer; the pilot car driver; and the owner of the metal shed being transported.
Idaho tried to cover up this episode in failing infrastructure by stating the Washington bridge was unique and not built well enough to avoid such an accident. They lied. Idaho has horrible transportation infrastructure. Now, with these measures Congress is going to swear to it.
January 21, 2015
By Zach Kyle
In May 2013, (click here) a semitrailer from Alberta was crossing a bridge on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Wash., when the top of the truck nicked the overhead beams of the four-lane, steel-truss bridge. The first of the bridge's four sections buckled, then collapsed 25 feet into the Skagit River, taking three vehicles and their drivers with it.
Built in 1955, the bridge was rated "functionally obsolete" on the National Bridge Inventory in 2013, meaning it was "no longer by design functionally adequate for its task." Its collapse drew attention to the fact that the Mount Vernon bridge was in no worse shape than many others in the nation.
Idaho has 453 such bridges. And it has 406 more designated as "structurally deficient," meaning at least one component is in poor condition, such as the deck, support beams or girders. Neither condition is necessarily worse than the other, and picking between the two can be a judgment call for highway engineers....
The state of Washington will probably lose the lawsuit since the weakest aspect to the accident was the bridge.
A $17 million lawsuit has been filed by the Washington State Department
of Transportation to recover costs related to the Skagit River bridge
collapse.February 2, 2015
Olympia, Washington
A $17 million lawsuit (click here) has been filed by the Washington State Department of Transportation to recover costs related to the 2013 Skagit River bridge collapse.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Skagit County Superior Court, according to a news release from the agency. It names four parties as responsible: the truck driver whose oversized truck hit the bridge; the driver's employer; the pilot car driver; and the owner of the metal shed being transported.
