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The "stimulus" bill hasn't been stimulating much of anything.  Even so, one could imagine the money doing some good, such as repairing  decrepit bridges.  But no!  Those appear to be last on the list.

Reports Cybercast News Service:

Tens of thousands of unsafe or decaying bridges carrying 100 million drivers a day must wait for repairs because states are spending stimulus money on spans that are already in good shape or on easier projects like repaving roads, an Associated Press analysis shows.

President Barack Obama urged Congress last winter to pass his $787 billion stimulus package so some of the economic recovery money could be used to rebuild what he called America's "crumbling bridges." Lawmakers said it was a historic chance to chip away at the $65 billion backlog of deficient structures, often neglected until a catastrophe like the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed two years ago this Saturday.

States, however, have other plans. Of the 2,476 bridges scheduled to receive stimulus money so far, nearly half have passed inspections with high marks, according to federal data. Those 1,123 sound bridges received such high inspection ratings that they normally would not qualify for federal bridge money, yet they will share in more than $1.2 billion in stimulus money.

The wooden bridge built in 1900 carrying Harlan Springs Road in Berkeley County, W.Va., is one of the nation's unsafe structures not being repaired. About 2,700 cars cross it every day. But with holes in the wooden deck and corroded railings and missing steel poles, only one car at a time can travel the 300-foot rickety span.

The bridge is an example of how Obama's call to spend recovery money quickly -- on "shovel ready" projects to get people back to work -- has clashed with other goals of the stimulus, such as targeting high-unemployment areas and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. State transportation officials say the need for speed makes it hard to funnel money into needy counties or to take on extensive bridge repairs that can involve years of planning and construction.

You've just got to love Uncle Sam!  He knows how to spend lots of money, but not how to spend it right.

View all comments (2) | Leave a comment

martin braun| 8.2.09 @ 12:59PM

Until all Americans are conviced or cajoled that chemical combustion is no longer a viable energy solution and that our salvation as a state lies in adoption of nuclear power in all the states, regardless of cost and local superstitions , nothing else matters.
All party politics are a mindless diversion from the real solution. And until the USA adopts nuclear power(to end, not merely decrease carbon emissions) no other countries will do so, either. As a result we will sling mud at one another until the lifeboat sinks under the weight of BS.(Conservative BS is just as malodorous as liberal BS)

DaveinPhoenix| 8.2.09 @ 1:01PM

The taxpayers stimulus dollars have been allocated with maximum spending occurring just before the next election cycle so as to achieve maximum political benefit.

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More Blog Posts by Doug Bandow

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/08/02/so-much-for-those-stimulus-fun

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