Homeland Security Won’t Let Inspectors Say Which Bridges are Dangerous

[babylonsister]

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2007/08/05/homeland-security-wont-let-inspectors-say-which-bridges-are-dangerous/

Homeland Security Won’t Let Inspectors Say Which Bridges are Dangerous
Posted by Trish | Aug. 5, 2007, 3:04 pm



There’s a bunch of long, high bridges in Jacksonville. One local restaurant even takes its name from this fact, calling itself Seven Bridges after the biggest and most iconic structures.

But people in all the counties that line the banks of the St. Johns River, a broad, northern-flowing body of water, take bridge travel as a part of daily life. So it’s a little unsettling to know that some of our hundreds of bridges don’t pass muster. It’s even worse not to know which ones.

It’s for our own good, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

…inspections have put a handful of state bridges in Northeast Florida in the same broad engineering category as that Minnesota bridge — “structurally deficient” — which means, under the state’s policy, it’s time for immediate action.

… Campbell says the Florida Department of Transportation isn’t allowed to tell you how the bridges you drive across every day did on their most recent inspections. And he’s not allowed to say which ones flunked their tests.

Ironically, the state workers says their lips and records are sealed — for your safety.

“After the 9/11 events and with homeland security, all bridge records have become exempt as public documents,” Campbell said.

All bridge records? Including whether or not it’s safe to cross one?

The DOT cites a law, passed in 2002, which states “building plans, blueprints, schematic drawings, and diagrams” are off-limits to be released to the public.

But a local lawyer, Tad Delegate, said that the law isn’t specific enough.

“They’re certainly trying to protect the public,” he said. “I have no doubt about that, but I think they’re reading this too broadly and they’re not limiting themselves to the specific terms of the statute.”

He said there is no wording in the law that says inspection reports cannot be made public.

A local T.V. station has put in a formal request for the information, but so far the FDOT’s only reaction is to lawyer up.

[Solly Mack]

1. we can't tell you which bridge might kill you because you might get killed

if we do

[babylonsister]

2. I'm astounded daily by their logic. nt

[ixion]

7. yep, me too...

the mind boggles... :crazy:

[RB TexLa]

3. Bull it's because they think businesses that are near those bridges would suffer

if people used other bridges instead.

[havocmom]

29. Nope, the business of funnelling $ to their patrons would suffer

If citizens actually knew how bad things are, there would be another tide of pissed off people screaming for oversight. Last thing cheney/bush junta wants is citizens, armed with information, insisting the government do what it's suppose to do rather than what is profitable for cheney and his bosses.

[billyoc]

4. Ignore our detiorating infrastructure

or the terrorist win.

[unhappycamper]

5. *cough* *cough*

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20093413/

[Solly Mack]

10. Thanks!!!!

[babylonsister]

16. I don't see anything at that link related to this story.

:shrug:

[unhappycamper]

20. Click on the state and then click on 'Click here to see major state bridges on list'

When the state list pops up, the first column 'Status' tells you if it's deficient or not.

[babylonsister]

22. Thanks, uhc. Maybe it's a Florida thing. nt

[annabanana]

6. Sounds more like FLORIDA doesn't want you to know...

and is using the Fed statute as an excuse...

"for your security".. HA! (If you believe that I've got a bridge. . . . .)

[EFerrari]

8. Well, I guess they don't care about San Francisco because

our paper said on Friday that there are 800 spans here with the same rating that the bridge had when it collapsed.

[liberal N proud]

9. "for your safety"

BULL SHIT!

Here in Cleveland all the TV Stations were doing reports and showing the underside of a bridge designed similarly to the Minneapolis bridge

[MazeRat7]

11. Must be selective - they have released specific ratings for bridges in Texas.

They even identified the 4 in my county that are below the 50% rating.

MZr7

[Ezlivin]

24. They even published pictures of the deficient bridges on the FRONT PAGE

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram showed which bridges in Tarrant County were rated worse than the one in Minnesota.

So much for Homeland Security.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. an easy solution go the long way round

don't go over the bridge

[karlrschneider]

28. Exxon Mobil loves -that- idea...

:eyes:

[Fresh_Start]

13. Next logical leap will be they can't repair the bridges

because construction crews on the bridges will identify the structures that are the easiest for the terrorists to bring down.

[izzie]

14. I think the list has been out for a long time.

It is just more fun to go to war and blow up things than fix an un-sexy bridge. And a nice new road from south to north 10 lanes wide is better than fixing those darn pot holes and old water pipes.

[TechBear_Seattle]

15. At what point can we sue the state and federal government for malfeasance?

If they know the bridges are unsafe and do nothing, if they know the bridges are unsafe and refuse to tell people, can we sue for negligent homicide when the bridges collapse and people die?

[marions ghost]

17. this is the same mentality

that says that a dangerous intersection doesn't get improved unless there are enough accidents and deaths.

And bridges are even more difficult for the individual to assess risk. The bridge in Minne didn't look
unsafe to those driving across...

Absolutely the inspection reports on bridges should be public information. There is no reason to hide this, unless you have the attitude that repairs are only necessary after a failure. Look at them SCRAMBLING to make amends and excuses about that bridge that collapsed in MN. Disgusting.

[leftchick]

18. I have been over this bridge a lot

about 20 years ago and it looks the same.

[IDemo]

19. HS motto - "Keeping America safe for over a fiftieth of a century!"

[spanone]

21. Homeland Security is the biggest farce ever perpetrated on the American people.

[seafan]

23. So, Bush's *Homeland Security* won't allow inspectors to say which bridges are deficient??

(Hat tip to Trish at the Pensito Review for this news)



Downtown Jacksonville’s Main St. Bridge


7 Bridges in North Florida Structurally Deficient, August 2, 2007



Below is a detailed link to just what Bush's *Homeland Security* is hiding from the public about structurally deficient bridges in Florida, with respect to Jacksonville:



Deficient major bridges in Florida


(scroll up and down to find information for other Florida counties)



The source for this information:

The raw dataset of the National Bridge Inventory, which is compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration from state reports, used for analysis was provided to MSNBC.com by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting at the University of Missouri. The most recent data includes inspections through December 2006.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20099059#DUVAL

The truth is the light of dawn to these vampires.

[Fovea]

25. In his 80s book, 'House of God' Dr. Samuel Shem

has one of his medical resident characters say-
"If you don't want to find a fever, don't take a temperature."

This is worse-- this is hiding the charts, diagnosis, and current condition from the patient's family and other doctors.

[progressoid]

26. Whew! I feel alot safer now.

[rodeodance]

27. stupidity reigns high at the DHS.

[BrightKnight]

30. FL Shocking Operational Ratings: 5, 18.4, 20.6, 26.8, 30.2, 33.7, 35.3

With shocking operational numbers like these it is not surprising that they don't want to information released. The only national security threat that I see is political. DHS needs to release all of the information and stay out of of the politics.

The number after the "O" is the rating of the bridge in a scale of 1 to 100.

O 5.0 1 FORT LAUDERDALE BROWARD NEW RIVER .25MI. S. OF SR-842

O 18.4 MIAMI MIAMI RIVER (FRAC. CRIT) 0.2 MILE NORTH OF SR 836

O 20.6 NORTH PALM BEACH PALM BEACH NORTH PALM BCH WATERWAY 0.4MI E/O PROSPERITY FARM

O 26.8 DANIA BROWARD DANIA CUT-OFF CANAL 0.4MI N OF GRIFFIN ROAD

O 30.2 812 LANTANA PALM BEACH INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY 0.8MI E OF US-1

O 33.7 FORT LAUDERDALE BROWARD S. FORK MIDDLE RIVER 0.3MI S OF NE26TH ST

O 35.3 64 SARASOTA MANATEE SARASOTA PASS 0.7MI EAST OF SR-789


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20099059#ALACHUA

[halobeam]

32. be interesting to see which routes in FLA are most common

that takes the kids to DisneyWorld. Bet THEY don't want this info out either. Unbelievable. Why do I still get surprised? I don't have nightmares as intense as what's REAL.

[halobeam]

31. MANY bridges that connect parkways to one another

are dangerous on Long Island, according to the link you provided. Nassau County one of the highest taxes in the country. Where the HELL is this money going to? Wow.