Top officials in the infrastructure sector of this country came to Minneapolis today to commend how we were able to come together as a community and get the new I-35W bridge built quickly and efficiently
"The focus and commitment that will build this bridge needs to be transferred to our nations crumbling infrastructure," Dave Semerad, with the Associated General Contractors of America said.
But the message Semerad and his colluges came here to send was not one of good cheer.
"If we continue with business as usual we will see more bridges collapse, more bridges close, more gridlock and the economy will suffer, the quality of life will suffer and we won't be able to compete in the 21st century," Jack Schenendorf, a member of a committee drafted by congress to study U.S. infrastructure said.
Schenendorf said what that commission found is that if our country doesn't nearly triple what it is spending the consequences could be, more tragedies, like the one that happened on 35-W.
The budget as it stands is 87 billion a year and the commission proposes raising that come next fiscal year to 220 billion. That they say will allow us to maintain our roads and bridges and move forward.
(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
