That's until you notice the implications of this story:
Capitol Street Bridge will undergo repairs
Work will begin soon and close one lane of traffic
Salem will spend as much as $60,000 to make temporary repairs on a failing bridge, even though the state plans to build a replacement in two years.
City leaders have determined that Salem can't wait until 2010 for the Capitol Street Bridge over Mill Creek to be replaced. Instead, the deteriorating bridge will undergo a round of stop-gap fixes this summer.
Stricter weight restrictions were placed on the Capitol Street Bridge last year in hopes it would last until 2010, when the Oregon Department of Transportation is expected to build a $3 million replacement using federal funds. But the city didn't count on the many drivers of overweight vehicles, who have crossed illegally the bridge despite multiple warning signs and the risk of substantial traffic fines.
. . .Salem Mayor Janet Taylor grilled public works officials about the need to fix a bridge that's on track for replacement. City officials responded that environmental permits from various state and federal agencies needed to be processed before the bridge replacement could begin, and ODOT could not move the project ahead of schedule. Becktel also noted that Salem's bridges would last longer if the city had a comprehensive maintenance program.
"This is an example of where we have deferred maintenance and it's come back to bite us," he told the council.
City officials say tight budgets prevent them from allocating more money for bridge work. Revenue from gasoline taxes, which have been declining and not keeping pace with inflation, provide funds for street and bridge repairs. In the current budget, the city set aside about $10,000 for bridge repairs and those limited funds go to making minor repairs, not major structural work, Becktel said.
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2 comments:
We need to brace ourselves for a lot more of this: we need to be ready to fix OUR infrastructure using OUR money – there’s really no reason for the feds to handout money to fix a local problem caused by local neglect. Locals have become way too dependent on OP (Other people’s) money.
Michael Ronkin
And now, the city is going to ask taxpayers for money to build more streets. It makes about as much sense as adding rooms onto a house with a leaking roof and broken windows, rather than repairing the existing structure.
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