Last week, I told you that Washington, D.C.'s Memorial Bridge -- a symbolic link from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery and from the Northern to Southern United States -- is in a state of extreme disrepair.
This week, I'd like to let you have a tour of just how bad it looks. Hat tip to DC newsman Kris Ankarlo. (FYI: I could not even finish watching this video before deciding to post it here for you. It is that alarming.)
So, you might think after the original news broke -- an indefinite load restriction and closed lanes (imagine how silly this must look to our European and Chinese visitors!) -- that Congress would feel some sense of urgency to fix important this national symbol and regional transportation link.
Um, nope.
Jarvis said the temporary repairs are not going to fix the broader problems plaguing the bridge. “And ultimately you could be looking at a bridge closure,” he said. “[It] should be OK for a while, but not over the long term.Political paralysis and congressional dysfunction are literally letting this nation rot.“We’re not anticipating any type of catastrophic failure,” he added, noting the bridge is inspected every two months. “But if you go under there … you’ll see what was a three-quarter inch steel beam is now a quarter-inch steel beam.”
The director said he was hopeful Congress would raise the level of funding for these federal projects. But Norton, who is also the ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, was not optimistic.
“My prediction is that the Republican House and Senate will try to kick the can down the road for another six months and finish out the year,” she said. “I don’t see any urgency here.”
Norton said without more federal funds, a likely scenario for the Arlington bridge is a series of temporary fixes, which will cost more money in the long run.
In the meantime, Beyer said his office has been working with the Office of Personnel Management to encourage the scores of federal workers who cross the bridge into D.C. to consider alternatives.
“We do have flex time, we do have telework,” Beyer said.“Let’s take advantage of the other tools we have to diminish the hardship for the six months to repair this part.”
We deserve better. We can do better. We have to do better.