Nine dead and 60 injured, 20 missing in Minneapolis– and that’s just the latest count. Reports the Star-Tribune: “The 1,907-foot bridge fell into the Mississippi River and onto roadways below. The span was packed with rush hour traffic, and dozens of vehicles fell with the bridge leaving scores of dazed commuters scrambling for their lives.”
Virginia has its share of old bridges in need of maintenance and repair. The state highway allocation formula allocates more money for fixing them than it used to, with the goal of working down the backlog of projects over 20 years or so. However, my impression is that Virginia places a higher priority on maintenance than most states, many of which prefer to steer funds into new construction.
It’s tempting to short-change maintenance in favor of new construction — until a disaster like this reminds us what’s at stake.