['BusNative]

Not widely publicized, but yesterday a piece of concrete fell off another bridge in Minny... turns out 1 in 4 bridges in America are effed up...

I-35E reopened after part of bridge falls

Pieces hit two vehicles, but no one was hurt. Traffic was jammed.
By PATRICK KENNEDY, Star Tribune
Last update: July 27, 2008 - 9:22 PM

Chunks of concrete crashed down from the Maryland Avenue overpass onto Interstate 35E Saturday, shutting down the busy freeway for several hours and causing a big traffic jam. The freeway is open today.


Concrete pieces struck two vehicles, one on the hood and the other on the windshield, but no one was hurt, said Kent Barnard, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation...

The Associated Press: Report says 1 in 4 US bridges needs upgrading

Report says 1 in 4 US bridges needs upgrading

By JOANN LOVIGLIO - 1 day ago
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - At least $140 billion is needed to make major repairs or upgrades to one of every four U.S. bridges, transportation officials from states across the country said in a report released Monday.

State officials said bridge repairs are just one element of a pressing need for more federal funding to improve the country's deteriorating transportation infrastructure.

"We need federal intervention, and federal intervention at a big level," Gov. Ed Rendell said after details were released of the report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The report cited Federal Highway Administration statistics that 152,000 out of the nation's 600,000 bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The $140 billion price tag was derived by multiplying the total number of square meters of the problem bridges by the average cost per square meter ? in 2006 dollars ? to do the work...