Politicians Bumble While the Nation’s Infrastructure Crumbles. Water Main Break Boston MA. Thoroughfare Bridge Closed Portsmouth NH/Kittery ME.

December 9th, 2010


While the politicians have been debating on how much of the taxpayers' dollars to give away, the nation’s infrastructure continues to crumble and decay.

In Boston's South End, a forty year old water main broke and left many with no water and no power in the abnormally bitter cold of this December morning. Temperatures were less than twenty degrees Fahrenheit.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12002958473214/water-main-break-causes-sinkhole-in-boston-south-end/

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/south_end/2010/12/water_restored_in_south_end_af.html

While in nearby Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the ninety year old Memorial Bridge which carries U.S. Highway Route 1 across the Piscataqua River to Kittery, Maine has been declared unsafe for vehicular traffic. Though the bridge was scheduled to be demolished and replaced sometime over the next three years, due to recently discovered excessive decay and the cost of repairing the doomed bridge as it stands, the span has been closed to vehicular traffic – much to the chagrin of nearby merchants. Though, NH DoT appears to be fairly competent and was able to catch this decay prior to any catastrophic consequences - so 'good job' to that agency.

http://www.wabi.tv/news/16290/kittery-portsmouth-nh-bridge-closed

So, again I ask, do the government-endorsed public utilities and other agencies that maintain our infrastructure still honestly believe it is in the nation’s best interest to wait until our infrastructure collapses before they will allocate the money to bring our infrastructure up to date? I bet those in San Bruno, California would have preferred their politicians to show any amount of concern regarding their infrastructure systems and had mandated the replacement of antiquated system components prior to the catastrophic natural gas system explosion that killed many innocent civilians in their town.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/09/large-explosion-reported-california-hillside/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/08/AR2010120800158.html

Adam Trotter, P.E. / AVT