T4America Blog

News, press releases and other updates

Posts Tagged "bridges"

T4’s Andrea Kiepe writes about reaction to Minneapolis bridge collapse, potential for making repair a priority

T4 America’s Minnesota Field Organizer Andrea Kiepe penned a moving piece for the Infrastructurist this week about how the tragic Minneapolis bridge collapse four years motivates her work for transportation reform and investment today. It’s a timely subject too, given the recent decision by the governors of Kentucky and Indiana to shut down the Sherman […]

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Proposal to fix bridges by taking away safety money won’t solve the problem

26 Sep 2011 | Posted by | 2 Comments | ,

Interstate-8 BridgeSenator Rand Paul (R-KY) got a lot of play in the media for joining President Obama in Kentucky last week and unveiling his own plan to prioritize bridge repair by taking away a tiny amount of funding that helps improve safety for people walking or biking and redirecting it to bridge repair. But Senator Paul’s proposal is built on a series of false premises.

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Oklahoma mayor stands up for investing in infrastructure

Oklahoma City mayor voices his support for the President’s efforts to bring the condition of U.S. infrastructure into the spotlight. John Robert Smith, our T4 America co-chair and former Mayor of Meridian, Miss., is fond of saying that there are no Republican or Democrat potholes or bridges or roads. Fixing and updating our country’s transportation […]

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President Obama’s Ohio visit again highlights the vast and growing need to address America’s aging and deficient bridges

President Obama’s visit to the Brent Spence Bridge bordering Ohio and Kentucky today calls much-needed attention to the urgency of bridge repair and rehabilitation throughout the country. Those needs are clearly visible in these detailed state-by-state reports and county level bridge data — including an interactive, searchable map of every deficient bridge in America.

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In wake of Ohio River bridge closure, NBC Nightly News examines the sorry state of U.S. bridges

At least one person somewhere in the U.S. is driving over a structurally deficient bridge every minute, according to T4 America director James Corless in a report on the woeful condition of our nation’s bridges on NBC Nightly News Sunday evening. Watch the segment and learn more about our country’s bridges.

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Closure of Ohio River Bridge Highlights Need for Robust Investment in Infrastructure

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’s prudent decision to close the 49-year-old Sherman Minton bridge over the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana last Friday after cracks were found in support girders, is powerful evidence that our country’s infrastructure needs cross both party lines and state lines and that we need strong federal investments in fixing our country’s infrastructure.

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Structurally deficient bridges and President Obama’s jobs bill

Last night after President Obama’s speech to Congress, attention turned to analysis of the speech and the President’s plan to take it on the road to the districts of key Representatives and Senators. Chris Matthews of MSNBC referenced Transportation for America and our data on structurally deficient bridges as an important part of making the […]

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Newspaper editorial boards urge action on repairing bridges

In the days since our comprehensive bridge report (The Fix We’re In) was released, at least one governor has promised action, and several newspaper editorials have urged their states to prioritize repair and address the growing backlog of deficient bridges.

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New report highlights mounting challenge of aging bridges

One in nine of the bridges and overpasses American drivers cross each day is rated in poor enough condition that they could become dangerous or be closed without near-term repair, according to a report released today by Transportation for America. Nearly 70,000 bridges nationwide are rated “structurally deficient” and are in need of substantial repair or replacement, according to federal data. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that the backlog of potentially dangerous bridges would cost $70.9 billion to eliminate, while the federal outlay for bridges amounts to slightly more than $5 billion per year.

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National report and interactive map shows the state of our nation’s bridges

69,223 bridges, more than 11 percent of all U.S. highway bridges, are rated “structurally deficient,” requiring significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement, according to a T4 America report released today, The Fix We’re In: The State of Our Nation’s Bridges. 69,000 bridges sounds like a lot, but what does that really mean? Where are these bridges? A new interactive map from T4 America makes it much easier to answer those questions.

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New report assessing the condition of our nation’s bridges coming Wednesday

A new report being released Wednesday by T4 America chronicles the state of our nation’s bridges, with accompanying data and reports for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our country is facing a backlog of deficient bridges that need repairs and maintenance to stay open and safe, with needs far greater than what we’re currently spending. So what’s the state of our nation’s bridges? Check back Wednesday for the answer.

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Planning for the future: Washington’s new Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Here in Washington, DC last weekend, the 12-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian lane of the Woodrow Wilson interstate bridge over the Potomac River held its grand opening, filling with bikers and walkers joining the thousands of cars that cross the bridge each day. The bridge, connecting Virginia and Maryland on the southern part of the Capital Beltway, is a vital transportation link in the region, where Interstate 95 (and the large majority of truck traffic) bypasses Washington, continuing north or south along the eastern seaboard. But making the Wilson Bridge an intermodal success was not easy.

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Are we building new roads to crumbling bridges?

With billions of dollars about to be spent on an economic recovery package, you’d think Congress would prioritize fixing dangerous bridges and repairing unsafe highways. But the powerful highway lobby is pressing hard for nearly all the money to be spent constructing new roads and bridges. This makes no sense. Tell Congress you support a smarter economic recovery package.

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