Is it time to do some nation-building at home yet?
Sit down and prepare to be disgusted, but not surprised.
Memorial Bridge between Washington, D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery
Washington's iconic Memorial Bridge between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery "is so badly corroded" that federal officials will commence emergency repairs, as well as implement an
indefinite "10-ton load limit" that will force tourist buses to find an alternate route between two of the capital's most-visited sites. The bridge is considered "structurally deficient."
The Washington Post has the depressing details.
As of Friday, both curbside lanes will be closed along the old drawbridge section of the bridge, taking two of six lanes partially out of commission. Four-foot strips of adjoining sidewalk will also be shut in both directions. Federal Highway Administration engineers found that steel “secondary” support beams were corroding more quickly than expected and “no longer meet load-bearing standards,” according to the Park Service.
Scans of the concrete bridge deck also helped uncover “significant deterioration,” leading to the new 10-ton weight limit that will block approximately 150 buses that traverse the span daily, according to Park Service spokesman Wayne Campbell.
“The load restrictions will be indefinite, until there is a rehabilitation or repair of the full bridge,” Campbell said. Those restrictions are on the entire 2,100-foot span, not just on the drawbridge section where the lane closures will occur. “Passenger vehicles are fully safe to go across the bridge, as long as they stay in the open lanes and are within the load limit.”
Politicians wasted no time -- after wasting a lot of time fixing nothing in America -- in expressing outrage.
Although tens of thousands of U.S. bridges have been deemed “structurally deficient,” the functional mess and potent symbolism of a crumbling Memorial Bridge needing emergency repairs had the Washington region’s congressional representatives fuming.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) warned of “unbearable congestion” for the more than 60,000 drivers who cross the Potomac between Virginia and the District daily. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called it “not just embarrassing – it’s outrageous.”
The Memorial Bridge was one of 14 “structurally deficient” bridges in the nation’s capital, according to federal data released in January and compiled by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Nationally, 61,064 spans get that broad designation, which indicates “major deterioration, cracks, or other deficiencies in their decks, structure, or foundations,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The label is not meant to indicate imminent danger, which bridge engineers said would result in a bridge being shut down.
The bridge was originally built to symoblize the "strength of a united nation."
The Arlington Memorial Bridge was dedicated in 1932, and the corroding drawbridge was last opened in 1961, the Park Service said. “Symbolically, the bridge was designed to show the strength of a united nation by joining a memorial on the north side of the Potomac River . . . with one on the south,” according to the Park Service, and the bridge’s eagle sculptures, bas-relief bison and artistic oak leaves are meant to “invoke national strength and unity.”
National Park Service officials have
previously said the 83-year old bridge requires a complete renovation, but funds -- that would need to come from a mix of District of Columbia, Virginia and Federal sources -- are unavailable.
Thus far, there is no funding for the project, but the Park Service estimates that it could cost $125 million to $250 million.
Borders said that unlike most Park Service projects, repair of the bridge is a regional transportation issue that involves all the area’s transportation agencies. Closure would affect uses ranging from everyday commuter traffic to VIP motorcades and funeral processions.
Is a strong nation one that literally crumbles around us?
