{"id":2210481,"date":"2024-04-01T10:41:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T14:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/baltimore-bridge-collapse-highlights-the-sorry-state-of-american-infrastructure\/"},"modified":"2024-04-01T10:41:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T14:41:47","slug":"baltimore-bridge-collapse-highlights-the-sorry-state-of-american-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/baltimore-bridge-collapse-highlights-the-sorry-state-of-american-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Sheds Light on America&#8217;s Failing Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbaltimore-bridge-collapse-highlights-the-sorry-state-of-american-infrastructure%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2210481&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The collapse of the Francis Scott\u200d Key Bridge in Baltimore due to a container ship\u2062 collision has highlighted America&#8217;s infrastructure \u2064crisis. President \u200dBiden pledged federal support for the bridge&#8217;s reconstruction. However, reports show\u200b a vast gap in infrastructure funding, with many\u2063 bridges in \u200dpoor condition and\u2064 lacking necessary repairs. This disaster underscores the urgent need\u200b for comprehensive infrastructure investment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p>Though the exact cause of a container ship\u2019s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland \u2014 which caused the structure\u2019s collapse \u2014 is under debate, the disaster that has claimed at least two lives and caused an untold amount of economic damage has drawn attention to the state of America\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The bridge itself accommodated almost 30,000 vehicles each day, and the Port of Baltimore, which will be heavily disrupted by the collapse and reconstruction, saw 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo and 11.7 million tons of general cargo coming into the port in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden has already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/biden-pushes-for-federal-gov-to-pay-for-entire-cost-of-rebuilding-baltimore-bridge-but-says-it-will-take-some-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">promised<\/a> that the federal government will foot the bill for the repairs to the bridge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect Congress to support my effort,\u201d Biden said. \u201cThis is going to take some time, and the people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bridge was originally built in the 1970s at an estimated cost of $141 million, which is around $743 million in today\u2019s dollars, CNS Maryland <a href=\"https:\/\/cnsmaryland.org\/2024\/03\/26\/the-history-of-baltimores-key-bridge\/#:~:text=Bridge%20construction,%24743%20million%20in%20today's%20dollars.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>. Experts have estimated that roughly $15 million a day in economic activity will be disrupted as a result of the disaster, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/baltimore-port-closure-could-cost-15-million-per-day-2024-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to Business Insider.<\/p>\n<p>However, it seems like every election year politicians of both parties clamber to pitch grand infrastructure projects that promise to make voters\u2019 commutes smoother and produce all-important \u201cshovel-ready\u201d jobs. Such an infrastructure overhaul was one of the pillars of Biden\u2019s presidential campaign in 2020, and, on paper at least, he delivered.<\/p>\n<p>Two gigantic pieces of legislation passed during Biden\u2019s two years in office, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in late 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, invested over a trillion dollars into multiple sectors of infrastructure \u2014 everything from roads to waterways to broadband \u2014 over the next decade, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/the-start-of-americas-infrastructure-decade-how-macroeconomic-factors-may-shape-local-strategies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to Brookings.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_717107\" style=\"width: 979px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-717107\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chen Mengtong\/China News Service via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In truth, only a little over $110 billion in the IIJA will actually go toward repairing roads and bridges, the Washington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2021\/08\/10\/senate-infrastructure-bill-what-is-in-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a>. The rest is parceled out among a myriad of other projects, most notably railroads, broadband, and utility infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, the Federal Highway Administration reported that over 42,000 bridges across the U.S. were in \u201cpoor\u201d condition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/03\/26\/baltimore-bridge-collapse-cost-infrastructure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to WaPo. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of U.S. bridges rated \u201cgood\u201d increased in only 11 states, while the number considered to be in \u201cpoor\u201d condition increased in 37 states. While 43,000 bridges saw an improved rating in 2023 compared t0 2020, a whopping 70,000 received a lower rating. Almost 13,000 bridges were downgraded from \u201cfair\u201d condition to \u201cpoor,\u201d but only 10,000 bridges were improved from a \u201cpoor\u201d rating.<\/p>\n<p>American Road and Transportation Builders Association said that a full third of U.S. bridges are in need of significant repairs or replacement, while 7% of bridges are \u201cstructurally deficient,\u201d the Council on Foreign Relations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/backgrounder\/state-us-infrastructure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases a report card every 5 years on the overall health of the nation\u2019s infrastructure, giving it an overall \u201cC-\u201d grade in 2021. The group\u2019s diagnosis of bridges and roads in particular does not paint a rosy picture.<\/p>\n<p>The nation\u2019s roads <a href=\"https:\/\/infrastructurereportcard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Roads-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">received<\/a> a \u201cD\u201d grade from the group, which noted that 40% of public roads are in mediocre or poor condition. Commuters are forced to spend nearly $130 billion a year in repairs and operating coasts because of the prevalence of poor quality roads, and 17% of all vehicle miles were driven on roads deemed to be in \u201cpoor condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bridges <a href=\"https:\/\/infrastructurereportcard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Bridges-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">received<\/a> a slightly higher score from the ASCE, a \u201cC,\u201d but the group still expressed a great deal of concern. Over 40% of U.S. bridges are over half a century old, the ASCE stated, and the backlog of repairs in 2021 stood at $125 billion. The report advised a much higher investment level over the next few decades to improve the situation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the current rate of investment, it will take until 2071 to make all of the repairs that are currently necessary, and the additional deterioration over the next 50 years will become overwhelming,\u201d the ASCE report said.<\/p>\n<p>The ASCE <a href=\"https:\/\/infrastructurereportcard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/2021-IRC-Executive-Summary-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">estimated<\/a> in 2021 that the nation\u2019s \u201cinfrastructure investment gap\u201d had increased to almost $2.6 trillion over the next 10 years. The organization warned that the deficit could cost the U.S. $10 trillion in GDP, 3 million jobs, and $2.4 trillion in exports by 2039. It noted that the infrastructure investment gap, if allowed to continue, would cost the average American family $3,300 a year in higher costs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_717119\" style=\"width: 874px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-717119\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Angerer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Repairing the nation\u2019s bridges represents such a huge stumbling block for the federal government because of its inability to appropriate the necessary funds to tackle traditional infrastructure (large portions of Biden\u2019s infrastructure packages went toward green initiative) and the skyrocketing cost of those necessary repairs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI look at South Carolina when the infrastructure bill came through. We only got about $1 billion more than we otherwise would have over a five-year period,\u201d Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/03\/26\/baltimore-bridge-collapse-cost-infrastructure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> Newsmax in the wake of the Baltimore disaster. \u201cI can barely build a bridge in my district for $1 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Between October 2020 and September 2022, the average cost for highway construction projects increased by 50%, and highway construction costs are almost 3 times higher than they were in 2003, <a href=\"https:\/\/enotrans.org\/article\/highway-construction-costs-have-risen-50-in-two-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to the National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI). The index <a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/high-prices-road-builders-2024-construction-labor\/703909\/#:~:text=The%20National%20Highway%20Construction%20Cost,these%20high%20prices%2C%20said%20Black.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reached<\/a> an all-time high in the second quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse isn\u2019t the first major infrastructure disaster of Biden\u2019s tenure. In 2023, a Norfolk Southern train <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/controlled-burn-of-toxic-chemicals-that-unleashed-mushroom-cloud-over-east-palestine-wasnt-necessary-federal-official-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">derailed<\/a> in East Palestine, Ohio, resulting in a controlled burn of toxic chemicals that were released into the air and affected local residents.<\/p>\n<p>Biden was slammed for waiting a year before he visited East Palestine and was met with disappointed East Palestine residents when he made the trip to the small town last month. The total cost of the derailment is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/midwest\/2024\/01\/31\/758843.htm#:~:text=The%20railroad%20now%20estimates%20the,additional%20penalties%20that%20haven't\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">estimated<\/a> at $1.1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Despite two major infrastructure initiatives within the last 4 years, the long-term health of America\u2019s roads and bridges does not look hopeful. Without a major decrease in the cost of repairs and an increase in infrastructure investments, the deterioration will continue, perhaps even accelerate. A poor network of roads and bridges will not only directly pass costs on to normal Americans, but also affect the nation\u2019s economy as a whole, accentuating our financial woes. And perhaps most importantly, it will almost certainly increase the rate at which we see deadly disasters like the one in Baltimore.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, resulting from a container ship collision, has sparked debates over its cause. This tragic event, claiming at least two lives and causing significant economic harm, highlights the pressing issue of America&#8217;s deteriorating infrastructure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1548,"featured_media":2210482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-2114927052-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2210481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-2114927052-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2210481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2210482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2210481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2210481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2210481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}