Don't Cross that Bridge!

The collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis is indeed a tragedy. Families will have to adjust to the puzzle of why and continue their lives knowing that a loved one was killed or suffered severe injury by an occurrence that is so rare. While this collapse is infinitesimally much rarer than lightening striking an individual, America appears fixated on the event because the bridge was created by human beings whereas uncontrollable forces are responsible for lightening.

The call for investigation was immediate and fortunately the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has the expertise and professional acumen to determine the likely cause. Unfortunately, thoroughness demands time and many want answers now. The media is diligently analyzing every potential angle to the story. How many bridges are there in America? How many bridges are 40 years old? How many are similar to this bridge? What does the video footage of the collapse reveal? Is the country's bridge inspection system effective? The questions are seemingly endless.

A flurry of activity always follows a tragic event and elected legislators at the federal and state level as well as public safety officials will be pressed to change procedures, introduce new laws, implement different inspection methodologies and otherwise change the mechanisms in effect to guarantee bridge safety. One can only hope that efficient and effective changes are implemented and not just "knee jerk" reactions that will make us feel better, but will waste resources and not actually contribute to an increased level of safety.

The answer to the issue of bridge safety is a meticulous assessment of the procedural design and safety regulations that are in effect, a re-inspection of bridges that are similar in age or design and a raised level of awareness by those engaged in this critical process. It would seem that major legislative expenditures should only be in response to any immediately identifiable safety concerns. Any quick fix to the problem of aging bridges in America is not possible.

It would be counter productive to cross the bridge that leads to costly and resource demanding programs that are hastily constructed to respond to demands for something to be done immediately for they will certainly collapse with more certainty than any other bridge in America.

The real news is that a bridge that collapses unexpectedly, due to circumstances other than floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, or collisions with ships or barges is indeed extremely rare and unusual. One can confidently traverse our nation's bridges knowing that fact.