One killed, several injured in Texas highway bridge collapse

[diabeticman]

Source: yahoo news/Reuters

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - At least one person was killed and several others were injured when a truck hit a support beam on a highway bridge under construction above Interstate 35 in central Texas, causing a collapse that showered debris on vehicles, officials said

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/bridge-collapses-35-highway-salado-texas-police-171347115.html?clear-cache

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OF COURSE we have to spend money on defense and screw our infrastructor in this country

[KamaAina]

1. Why does god hate I-35 so much?

The bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis a few years ago was on I-35W.

[Dreamer Tatum]

18. that driver was probably trained by fundies in AZ.nt

[KamaAina]

20. Hardy har har.

[NutmegYankee]

2. For fairness, it appears infrastructure improvements were under way in this accident.

The truck just took out a support beam, and gravity did the rest.

[diabeticman]

6. true but it just seems this country is falling apart.

[NutmegYankee]

7. Overall it is. Public works are no longer funded correctly.

[blkmusclmachine]

14. Look at the poster for "Waiting for Superman" - complete destruction for as far as the eye can

see. Did you notice the Cross shining down upon the little girl, too? The Cross is "hiding" in the clouds in the upper left corner of the poster, but it is obviously a Cross. This movie was created by our Third Way "pals," and advocates dismantling our public schools. Just like the Christian Reconstructionists want to do. Here's the poster:

[SpartanDem]

3. Reading is fundamental

"truck hit a support beam on a highway bridge under construction"

Not that I disagree with your overall point about transportation spending in this country, but it really doesn't apply here.

[PoliticAverse]

4. According to the article this was a bridge that was being built. n/t

[TexasTowelie]

10. Actually the old bridge was being demolished and a wider bridge was going up.

I know the area since it was a farm-to-market road that goes out to Stillhouse Hollow Lake. It was on the northern end of my rolling roads when I was in college.

[blm]

5. GOP: Deregulate, deregulate, deregulate.

.

[TexasTowelie]

8. Not really, probably a driver who wasn't paying attention.

Here is some more info including photos http://www.democraticunderground.com/107824144 .

[blm]

11. Like the Walmart truck driver - a deregulated trucking industry that

also pressures the drivers with added hours.

A good number of trucking accidents have been by drivers who are competent, but, overworked and overtired.

[Chakab]

9. As a former resident of Austin, I can attest to the fact that infrastructure in Central Texas has

been lagging far behind the population growth of the region for nearly three decades.

[PersonNumber503602]

21. But but but what about all those new toll roads around Austin?

It seems like most of the new roads in Texas are toll roads.

[liberal N proud]

12. Isn't it bad enough that most bridges are unsafe, we are destroying them before they are complete.

[Sunlei]

13. The new bridge didn't have enough clearance?

[MisterP]

15. it's described as being under construction, so we're not really skimping (in this case)

[ChisolmTrailDem]

16. Over the past 10 years, and moreso since 2008, most of the 60s-era highway interchanges have

been or are being or will be rebuilt. Under President Obama, I've seen a major ramping up of infrastructure works in the DFW area. I live along the Airport Freeway (TX 121/183) and North Loop 820 corridor which was completely rebuilt and was completed about a year ago. Now work is being done on the I-35W corridor between NL820 and the 121/35-W interchange in downtown Ft Worth, an interchange that sorely needs it. All of these have or will have both high-speed and HOV/Toll Express lanes called the TexExpress. Also, south from Ft Worth to Cleburne is the new Chisholm Trail Parkway.

Same story over in Dallas...New interchange going up at the I-35E/I-30 intersection as well as new I-30 high-speed and HOV/Toll express lanes going in.

I've probably left a couple out but to say that our infrastructure is screwed is certainly not true in the Metroplex at least.

[davidpdx]

17. Yes, this was bound to happen

[Aristus]

19. Follow-up story: Every Texan not killed in the collapse celebrates not having to pay

icky, nasty taxes for infrastructure upkeep. High-fives all around, Texas...