I Hate to Barge in, But….

    

In March, when a container ship (pictured above), lost all power after the tugs that could have taken over were released, the main shipping channel to one of America’s major east coast ports was entirely blocked as that vessel slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending the entire structure crashing into the water below. Baltimore Harbor and all the ships in that harbor were trapped. A few weeks later, a small opening in the channel allowed a few ships to transit the channel, but the clean-up and replacement will take years and cost billions, although the Army Corps of Engineers has yet to release a full assessment.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators reported that 56 containers on the vessel contained hazardous material, mostly corrosives and flammables, as well as some lithium-ion batteries. That shimmering golden picture above is a computer-generated visual of the sonic findings looking strictly at the structural steel underwater that has to be removed. But the economic loss of the full use of one of our larger ports means imports will cost more, exports will be delayed, and crowding at our other major ports will increase. Lots of folks will lose their livelihoods until the bridge is replaced… and folks who relied on the Interstate that crossed that bridge may be more than just inconvenienced. Just because no one funded the barriers needed to protect the bridge supports against major collision.

The picture on the right is of one of the Pittsburgh bridges hit by a barge from 26 day-loaded barges that broke away and drifted down the Ohio River on April 12th. Pittsburgh closed two bridges out of an abundance of caution. “No hazardous materials were on board the barges, according to the city. Of the 26 loose barges, 23 were loaded and carrying dry cargo, including coal, according to the news release… Eleven of the barges were located and pinned against the river bank by Brunot Island, according to a news release from the City of Pittsburgh. They were being held by a tugboat… Meanwhile, 14 continued down the river and six have gone over the Emsworth Dam, the city said.

“While there have been no reports of people injured, Peggy’s Harbor - a family owned and operated full service marina located on the Ohio River - was damaged, the release said. It’s unclear exactly what the damage to the marina looks like… ‘The barges are owned or operated by Campbell Transportation Company located on the left descending bank of the Ohio River, just downstream from the West End Bridge,’ Pittsburgh officials said in the news release.” CNN.com, April 13th. Those bridges were spared the impact of a larger, heavier vessel.

It is less than subtle that the United States has been facing trillions of dollars of deferred maintenance on our infrastructure from the lockstep doctrinaire GOP willingness to cut taxes for the rich (e.g., the 2017 reduction of the federal corporate tax rate that generated virtually no measurable economic benefits but has resulted in several trillion dollars being added to the federal deficit) and, except for defense, pretty much cut or threaten to cut the federal budget for everything else. At least a bi-partisan bill, passed in 2021, slowed the “kicking the infrastructure can down the road” for a while.

“In November 2021, Congress passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA funds desperately needed improvements to the United States infrastructure. This historic bill is the largest commitment to U.S. infrastructure in over 100 years. The IIJA includes $500 billion allocated for surface transportation systems, $73 billion to update the electric grid, $55 billion to improve countrywide water quality and $50 billion to support community resilience in the face of climate change, cyberattacks and more.” BigRentz, Think Big Blog, United States Infrastructure: Past, Present and Future, February 16th.

So, just looking at our nation’s bridges – not looking at dams, levees, highways, power grids and energy generation, just bridges: “According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), 1 in 3 US bridges require replacement or repair. Of these bridges, 42,400 are deemed ‘structurally deficient,’ yet people cross them approximately 167 million times a day… They may not collapse in the middle of rush hour, but they need plenty of attention before existing issues deteriorate to a point where the structures are unsafe.

The estimated backlog for bridge repairs is $125 billion, and annual spending needs to increase from $14.4 billion to $22.7 billion to make necessary improvements. A systematic preservation program prioritizing preventive maintenance is crucial to address this issue… Fortunately, the new United States infrastructure bill recently allocated funds to the Bridge Investment Program. This program is the largest bridge investment in U.S. history and supports the replacement, rehabilitation and preservation of poor or at-risk bridges with $40 billion allocated over five years.” BigRentz

The US Department of Transportation has announced its Bridge Investment Program that provides funding for bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection projects that reduce the number of bridges in poor condition, or in fair condition at risk of declining into poor condition. This willingness to cut taxes for the rich, increase the federal deficit which sucks tax dollars to pay the massive interest carry like a mega-vacuum cleaner of steroid, and ignore what needs to be done to keep our country on track is horrifically self-destructive. Productivity relies heavily on education – which is increasingly unaffordable – and vigorous infrastructure (which is obviously in severe decay). Not priorities for GOP tax-cutters.

I’m Peter Dekom, and this catering to the rich and lovers of conspiracy theories while refusing to fund what makes us productive and great is killing us… as we watch income inequality grow, productivity plunge and our national debt continue to rise to staggering and unsustainable heights.