While McConnell Opposes Infrastructure Investment, Major Kentucky Bridge Shuts Down

[cal04]

While McConnell Opposes Infrastructure Investment, Major Kentucky Bridge Shuts Down Over Safety Concerns
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/10/316190/while-mcconnell-opposes-infrastructure-investment-major-kentucky-bridge-shuts-down-over-safety-concerns/

Yesterday, ThinkProgress published a report detailing Republican Congressional leadership’s opposition to infrastructure investments even as structural deficiencies in bridges and roadways persist in their home states. Among those is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, where 34 percent of bridges are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

The Sherman Minton Bridge, one of three major bridges spanning the Ohio River between Louisville, KY and southern Indiana, was among the Kentucky bridges listed as deficient. And last night, the Sherman Minton Bridge was closed after further deficiencies, including cracks, were found in a load-bearing part of its structure. The Louisville Courier-Journal reports:

The Sherman Minton Bridge was closed late Friday afternoon and will remain shut down indefinitely after officials discovered cracks in the span.

(snip)
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) ordered the closure of the bridge, as the state of Indiana maintains and operates the bridge. But the 49-year-old bridge serves as a major thoroughfare for Louisville, McConnell’s hometown and Kentucky’s largest city, carrying 50,000 people a day into or out of the city, according to Chuck Wolfe, spokesman for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The state of Kentucky assists in maintenance and evaluation of the bridge’s structure. While the Sherman Minton Bridge is closed, much of its regular daily traffic will be re-routed over another bridge that was already slated to be inspected for structural damage Monday.


Sherman Minton Bridge closed indefinitely due to structural cracks
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110909/NEWS01/309090090/Sherman-Minton-Bridge-closed-indefinitely-due-structural-cracks

[ixion]

1. not to worry. it will be privatized and sold to China

who will 'maintain' it with crappy building materials.

On Edit: (just in case) :sarcasm:

[The Blue Flower]

2. Reality does indeed have a liberal bias

nt

[Lunabelle]

4. My very favorite quote of the day

Thank you.

[Creideiki]

5. +1 /nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. He would spend millions on war but not on a bridge

nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan but no money for bridges in Kentucky.

[Dennis Donovan]

6. rec rec rec rec rec rec rec rec rec rec rec rec

[sakabatou]

7. McConnell: What? Me worry?

[orpupilofnature57]

8. Marbles in his mouth Misanthrope ,anything that doesn't have to do....

with Antebellum.

[elleng]

9. Guess he's an isolationist, eh?

:sarcasm:

[JNinWB]

10. If he wasn't, he is now....

[SpiralHawk]

11. The Republicons better get busy trashing some more firefighters, cops, and...

...maintenance workers. America is huge, and the ongoing Republicon efforts to make America FAIL will have to go further and faster to fulfill the eeeeeevil plans of teh Chinless Chickenhawks (R).

[sudopod]

12. I'm sure they can pay a company to fix it up into a toll bridge or something. :/ nt

[malaise]

13. Not good enough for me

I want one of those scumbag ReTHUGS to be on a bridge when it collapses.

[orpupilofnature57]

14. They fly everywhere!!!!

[butterfly77]

15. K&R..

[Bozita]

16. Maybe KY and IN could pay for a new bridge with some more tax cuts

The only tool in the small-gubmint toolbox.