The Dangers of Aging Infrastructure

3 August 2007 - 10:00am

The collapse of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis is likely to be representative of the kinds of new disasters we experience in the US as the county's infrastructure ages, and little new investment is made by government.

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"These disasters are an indication that this country is not investing enough in keeping its vital infrastructure in good repair, engineering experts warn.

'Governments do not want to pay for maintenance because it is not sexy,' said John Ochsendorf, a structural engineer and an associate professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

...'The American Society of Civil Engineers issues annual rankings of the state of the nation's infrastructure and most of the grades are C and D,' said Michael J. O'Rourke, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute."

Source: The New York Times, August 3, 2007