4 ms·

What about the west Seattle bridge, a huge chuck of Seattle just got cut off for many years due to failing infrastructure. That’s probably the first of many inf

by rdtwo 7y ago

What about the west Seattle bridge, a huge chuck of Seattle just got cut off for many years due to failing infrastructure. That’s probably the first of many infrastructure debts coming due

toomuchtodo 7y ago
> That’s probably the first of many infrastructure debts coming due The problem isn't related to infrastructure alone. US debt is already above $24 trillion [1]. The Federal Reserve just put $6 trillion on its balance sheet [2] that is unlikely to ever be unwound. We've already spent far into the future. It's important to allocate capital intelligently in the near term to ensure disaster is averted when defaults occur en masse decades from now. I'd rather fix all of our existing infrastructure that gets a D+ rating [3] and then default on that debt in the future; we still get to keep what has already been built. The debt is "funny money". A better title, with more weight towards the financial situation, would've been "We've Built A Civilization We Can't Afford." We have to stop kicking the can, but you need leaders with the fortitude to tackle these painful issues, and an electorate that will support them. Is that likely? I wouldn't bet my own money on that. [1] https://www.thebalance.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287 https://www.thebalance.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to... [2] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WALCL https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WALCL [3] https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/ https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/
mjevans 7y ago
I live near Seattle. The bridge you're talking about is actually a modern replacement that has failed well before reasonable expectations. I don't recall hearing a root cause, but I don't believe anyone was expecting this or that it's a results of lack of maintenance.
xyzzyz 7y ago
From what I understand, the West Seattle bridge is not failing due to lack of maintenance, but rather due to constructions defects. No amount of maintenance could have prevent the current problems.
jorblumesea 7y ago
> just got cut off for many years due to failing infrastructure But not because Seattle hasn't paid its dues, but due to an engineering fault / design problem. The bridge was expected to last another 40 years and was being regularly inspected (which is how the issue was found). The bridge was built in '84 and inspected multiple times a year.

by rdtwo 7y ago

What about the west Seattle bridge, a huge chuck of Seattle just got cut off for many years due to failing infrastructure. That’s probably the first of many infrastructure debts coming due

toomuchtodo 7y ago

> That’s probably the first of many infrastructure debts coming due The problem isn't related to infrastructure alone. US debt is already above $24 trillion [1]. The Federal Reserve just put $6 trillion on its balance sheet [2] that is unlikely to ever be unwound. We've already spent far into the future. It's important to allocate capital intelligently in the near term to ensure disaster is averted when defaults occur en masse decades from now. I'd rather fix all of our existing infrastructure that gets a D+ rating [3] and then default on that debt in the future; we still get to keep what has already been built. The debt is "funny money". A better title, with more weight towards the financial situation, would've been "We've Built A Civilization We Can't Afford." We have to stop kicking the can, but you need leaders with the fortitude to tackle these painful issues, and an electorate that will support them. Is that likely? I wouldn't bet my own money on that. [1] https://www.thebalance.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287 https://www.thebalance.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to... [2] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WALCL https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WALCL [3] https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/ https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/

mjevans 7y ago

I live near Seattle. The bridge you're talking about is actually a modern replacement that has failed well before reasonable expectations. I don't recall hearing a root cause, but I don't believe anyone was expecting this or that it's a results of lack of maintenance.

xyzzyz 7y ago

From what I understand, the West Seattle bridge is not failing due to lack of maintenance, but rather due to constructions defects. No amount of maintenance could have prevent the current problems.

jorblumesea 7y ago

> just got cut off for many years due to failing infrastructure But not because Seattle hasn't paid its dues, but due to an engineering fault / design problem. The bridge was expected to last another 40 years and was being regularly inspected (which is how the issue was found). The bridge was built in '84 and inspected multiple times a year.