The newly-renovated Bayonne Bridge connecting New Jersey and Staten Island had to be closed yesterday–because, when winter weather hits, the freakin’ ramp turned out to be too steep and cars and trucks not only couldn’t climb the slippery slope: some of them got up a little ways and began to slide back down.
This after millions of dollars were spent on assorted feasibility studies, tens of millions on construction, with a bottom-line cost of well over a billion dollars and maybe, eventually, more.
Didn’t they know it would be too steep, if the roads were icy? Aren’t engineers supposed to know those things? Or were they just counting on Climate Change to make snow and ice and sleet, like, just not happening anymore?
Can’t take it back to the store and ask for a refund, can we?
Oh, well, hey, it works just fine in nice weather!
“…millions of dollars were spent on assorted feasibility studies, tens of millions on construction, with a bottom-line cost of well over a billion dollars and maybe, eventually, more.” Maybe the project wasn’t about building a viable bridge at all, just one that generated the money to build it. There’s a whole new crew just waiting to get their share by “fixing” it.
Good heavens, that would imply that there may possibly, conceivably, ah-c’mon-now be some form of corruption in New Jersey…
Nah, it doesn’t even touch the surface – t’s a bridge, not a road… I thought I was being generous. We could spend a lot of time discussing whose state is more corrupt, but I’d just be telling you what you already know – lol.
I am increasingly convinced that the human race it digging its own grave with all of this complexity. There are experts and engineers galore, but common sense is startlingly rare.
Another good reason to be a Christian libertarian. The private sector out performs government work, running circles around them.