We keep hearing, over and over, that our infrastructure is crumbling, that we haven’t been keeping it up as we shoulld. That alone was one of the main points of Obama’s Porkulus / shovel ready jobs farce – here’s a ton of money, go fill some holes. Problem is, not all that money was spent on the right. Here in NH, we do have "red flagged" bridges that are in desperate need of a refurb. Yet, when Obama’s ARRA bucks came raining down from the heavens, did those #1 priorities get done? No – the $$ were spent elsewhere (like repaving Rt 106 AGAIN – where it was not needed). Why, in the name of God’s green earth, didn’t that go to the bridges……
Sorry, I digress. Maybe because of I keep hearing all that noise again – we have to rebuild! There’s a problem, however:
The problem with that narrative is that the number of bridges that are in bad shape has been falling steadily over time. The nation’s bridges appear to be in better condition than ever, as indicated by data from the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA’s inventory of bridges identifies those that are “structurally deficit” and “functionally obsolete.” Definitions for those terms are here.
The chart shows that the share of the 100,000+ bridges in the National Highway System that are either S.D. or F.O. has declined steadily since 1992. (Hat tips: Randal O’Toole and Matt Fay)
Hmmm…..seems like somebody hasn’t told the financial wizards in DC that somebody on a unicorn with beaucoup pixie dust beat them to the job?
(H/T: The Corner)