Weakened infrastructure cited in Minnesota bridge collapse | 08.03.2007 | 07:17:44 | Views: 7210 | ID: August 3 '07: The recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis, which has claimed at least five people, has been blamed on a weakened or "functionally obsolete" infrastructure, CNN reported. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that rescue and response efforts are being slowed by dangerous river conditions. "Federal Highway Administration data from 2006 shows that 24.5 percent of the nation's bridges longer than 20 feet were categorized as 'structurally deficient' or 'functionally obsolete'," CNN reported. Additionally, reports released byprivate sector working groups and the federal government have highlighted the need to integrate greater infrastructure robustness. And in July, a GAO report released highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the private sector and the federal government in strengthening and securing the nation's critical infrastructure. "Because about 85 percent of the nation's critical infrastructure is owned by the private sector," the report read, "it is vital that the public and private sectors work together to protect these assets," the report read. Of note, the terms "structurally deficient" and "functionally obsolete" are technical terms the federal government uses. Casey Dinges, an staff engineer working with the American Society of Civil Engineers, who released a report that gave the U.S. infrastructure a "C" told the cable news network, "Neither one means failure is imminent or that your life is in danger or that you should be afraid to get in your car. ... That said, we still have pretty serious concerns about the overall state of the nation's infrastructure."(Click below to download file) regional-disaster-guide.pdf
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