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groundloop

(13,905 posts)
4. There's another side to this that isn't being talked about - our woefully inadequate infrastructure.
Tue May 12, 2026, 01:15 PM
Tuesday

That bridge (and several thousand other ones across the US) should have had concrete pilings and islands in place to prevent a runaway ship or barge from contacting bridge support columns. This isn't the first time a bridge has been damaged by a barge or ship, off the top of my head I can think of the Sunshine Skyway bridge in Florida and one of the bridges in New Orleans crossing the Mississippi (approximately 40 years ago). The US has often made the choice to take the cheap way out.

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