In light of the tragedy what does Bush do?

[Truthmatters]

One has to know why and how the problem was not fixed to get the public to take the action needed to fix the problem.

You see the country has been fooled into thinking the government can do nothing right and that Tax Cuts are the only thing atht matters.

Its time to stop this stupid montra and get down the the real facts about what and how we spend our tax money.

Its time the people realise those who use the constant short sighted "tax cuts " montra are the ones who are NOT thinking the whole thing through and taking in all the information needed to make a rational decision.

There are things government can do right ,there are things ONLY government can truely accomplish.

Corporations will not do it.

States will not do it.

It takes an entire government to look ahead and take all the peoples interest in mind an make a Big Picture decision to fix the problem.

Selling our roads to foriegn businesses is a very bad fix to this type of problem.

 

[hjmick]

I find it interesting that, while so many have been trying to lay this tragedy on this and past administrations, no one has pointed out that Hennepin County raised it's sales tax to pay for...wait for it...

...wait for it...

...wait for it...

...a new $390 million (low estimate) stadium for the Twins. Well, they are paying 2/3 of the cost, which, IMO, is too much. When did it become the responsibility of the taxpayers to provide ballparks for multi-millionaire team owners? But I digress...

Seems to me that if the county can raise taxes in order to give a stadium to a baseball team, why couldn't they do it in order to repair a bridge they knew needed work for 17 years?

 

[Truthmatters]

See my last post.

 

[Gunny]

See my last post.

You mean your attempt to lay this on the Bush administration? You're right .. there's a problem. Too many people like you can'r see what it is because you'r too busy trying to politicize everything.

Mick's point is spot-on. All too aften we see cities buying ballparks for greedy owners instead of taking care of what they're supposed to.

Just as in NO, and happened here with that albatross the Alamodome. the money was allocated and/or taxes hiked to get it, and it was misspent.

Henty Cisneros, a staunch "one of you guys" hoodwinked this entire city into voting yes on that stupid stadium and everyone figured out later it was a city tax increase.

So quit trying to blame the right just for being the right and blame the IDIOTS who are the cause of it.

 

[Truthmatters]

I was agreeing with him Gunny.

Like I said you can not count on state or local governments to do certain things.

There are times that the problem just has to be fixed by the Federal gov.

 

[Gunny]

I was agreeing with him Gunny.

Like I said you can not count on state or local governments to do certain things.

There are times that the problem just has to be fixed by the Federal gov.

I don't agree insofar as the various levels of gov't are concerned ... Fed money was allocated. Who misspent it needs to be held accountable.

 

[Truthmatters]

the ballpark was bought with local sales taxes.

I have not seen a breakdown on what was done with any federal money the state recieved and how they used it.

This state has more bridges oin the list which are not up to par as do all states in the union.

There is however a law which has been allowed to languish for years instead of being renewed which had been used to make some progress on the problem.

The structural engineers of this country mentioned it directly in their report in 2005.

The law has still not been extended, I bet it will be now.

 

[Bern80]

One has to know why and how the problem was not fixed to get the public to take the action needed to fix the problem.

You see the country has been fooled into thinking the government can do nothing right and that Tax Cuts are the only thing atht matters.

Its time to stop this stupid montra and get down the the real facts about what and how we spend our tax money.

Its time the people realise those who use the constant short sighted "tax cuts " montra are the ones who are NOT thinking the whole thing through and taking in all the information needed to make a rational decision.

There are things government can do right ,there are things ONLY government can truely accomplish.

Corporations will not do it.

States will not do it.

It takes an entire government to look ahead and take all the peoples interest in mind an make a Big Picture decision to fix the problem.

Selling our roads to foriegn businesses is a very bad fix to this type of problem.

and has been cited earlier the tax cuts had absolutely nothing to do with this. Here's a little MN politics from someone who lives there. The gas tax is suppossed to pay for our roadways. Well our democrate legislature felt that instead of spending the money on roadways it could be best spent on a light rail system for which no research was done to see if it would actually be used or not, (if it was, nobody listened). Now we have this lovely state of the art light-rail system that on any given day you'll see one or two people using. 80% of the gas tax got flushed down the toilet on this thing instead of using it for what it's for, road repair.

You're problem is your asanine reactions to everything. You are the one not objectively looking at the problem. How can you be? When you blame the right less than 4 hours after the incident occurred. Now does it surprise me that this how the left looks at it? Of course not. The left doesn't solve immediate problems that way. Because it is you not the rest of us that is programmed. You are programmed to believe that you have a right to inconvenience/risk/worry/catastrophe free life. With that mind set it's not wonder your first reaction is to place blame instead moveing on and just fixing the problem. Fixing this does not require we blame anybody. Everything that needs to be done for the future can be done without placing blame. We can heal the people. We can fix the bridge. We can even increase future funding for improved maintenance. None of that require blaming anyone. Yet you felt that was the first, best course of action.

 

[Nevadamedic]

http://tinyurl.com/2h6373


After this horrible and preventable incident which is bringing to light the state of our Infrastructure and how dangerous it can be to ignore the problem what does Bush do?

He threatens to veto a bill which everyone agrees is greatly needed to improve parts of our infrastructure.

Do some research on the bill, there was way to many problems with it.

 

[Edward]

First off while deficient the brdige was not deemed unsafe for use. Secondly I fail to see what the water and dam system of the Mississippi has to do with this.

You really sicken me Truth. We have a real tragedy here and the first thing you can think to do is 'how can i blame this on the right?'

Nothing he said blamed anything on the right. Only in your deluded mind did he do so. In fact, the only person he mentioned was Bush who threatened to veto this legislation even though it's clear it received bipartisan support from the House and was passed overwhelmingly. It seems to me that it is you who wants to make this a right-left issue and you really sicken me.

 

[Edward]

I find it interesting that, while so many have been trying to lay this tragedy on this and past administrations, no one has pointed out that Hennepin County raised it's sales tax to pay for...wait for it...

...wait for it...

...wait for it...

...a new $390 million (low estimate) stadium for the Twins. Well, they are paying 2/3 of the cost, which, IMO, is too much. When did it become the responsibility of the taxpayers to provide ballparks for multi-millionaire team owners? But I digress...

Seems to me that if the county can raise taxes in order to give a stadium to a baseball team, why couldn't they do it in order to repair a bridge they knew needed work for 17 years?

Because the county isn't responsible for funding the construction if state or federal highways. There responsibility is for county roads, the city for city roads, the state for state roads and the federal government for federal roads. The state Department of Transportation will be involved in carrying out these projects from the federal down to the city but each level of government is still responsible for its own roads. The County raising money to build a stadium is part of the county's responsibility for economic growth. It is quite clear that you don't know how local, county and state government works based on your ignorant statements.

 

[Edward]

You mean your attempt to lay this on the Bush administration? You're right .. there's a problem. Too many people like you can'r see what it is because you'r too busy trying to politicize everything.

Mick's point is spot-on. All too aften we see cities buying ballparks for greedy owners instead of taking care of what they're supposed to.

Just as in NO, and happened here with that albatross the Alamodome. the money was allocated and/or taxes hiked to get it, and it was misspent.

Henty Cisneros, a staunch "one of you guys" hoodwinked this entire city into voting yes on that stupid stadium and everyone figured out later it was a city tax increase.

So quit trying to blame the right just for being the right and blame the IDIOTS who are the cause of it.

How the hell can you blame this on the city for not doing something they aren't responsible for doing? They are not responsible for state or federal roads and bridges. Have you ever heard of the concept of externalities or in other words this bridge is part of an interstate highway system and doesn't fall under the control or authority of the city or the county. Second, anyone who understands anything about economic growth understands that it is the proper domain of a city and county to build tourist attactions, to build parks and other facilities and to generally deal with economic growth issues and if that involves a tax increase it only makes sense to do so since the long-term revenue generated for the individual, businesses and the city off-sets the tax increase.

 

[Edward]

Well our democrate legislature felt that instead of spending the money on roadways it could be best spent on a light rail system for which no research was done to see if it would actually be used or not, (if it was, nobody listened). Now we have this lovely state of the art light-rail system that on any given day you'll see one or two people using.

To demonstrate that you are a liar here are some facts: "For the first three full months of light-rail service ridership totaled nearly 1.4 million, 96 percent higher than the goal. 'Rail ridership remains strong,' said Brian Lamb, general manager. 'Even though September is a month with just 30 days, we were able to generate ridership of more than 400,000, compared with 476,800 in August and 462,400 in July." The same article goes on to say "During September, weekday ridership averaged more than 14,200 rides, 49 percent higher than the goal of 9,500 each weekday. Weekend ridership continued to be strong with Saturdays averaging 14,100 against a projection of 4,300 and Sundays/holiday averaged 14,000 versus a projection of 2,100."

I don't need to say more than this since your statement that "Now we have this lovely state of the art light-rail system that on any given day you'll see one or two people using" is a lie. Also, state and federal law requires that studies be completed before undertaking such a project so your statement that "a light rail system for which no research was done to see if it would actually be used or not." For those of you who think I am over-reacting in my response to the liar Bern80 you can visit:

http://www.metrocouncil.org/about/facts/HiawathaLRTFacts.pdf

Here the following statement is made: "In 2006, the Hiawatha line carried 9.4 million passengers and averaged 28,200 riders per weekday, exceeding 2020 capacity projections by nearly 14 percent." So the studies have been done, estimates have been made and the ridership is far higher than the liar Bern80 claims it is. As I have already noted federal and state law requires that each city with a population over 50,000 have a Metropolitan Planning Organization and they are tasked with transportation as well. The planning that goes into the transportation system of a state, county and local cities is extensive and as someone who has been a part of this process I can attest that this light rail system would not have been built without extensive studies. I may not live in Minnesota but I do know enough about how things are done to know that Bern80 is a liar.

You're problem is your asanine reactions to everything. You are the one not objectively looking at the problem. How can you be? When you blame the right less than 4 hours after the incident occurred. Now does it surprise me that this how the left looks at it? Of course not. The left doesn't solve immediate problems that way. Because it is you not the rest of us that is programmed. You are programmed to believe that you have a right to inconvenience/risk/worry/catastrophe free life. With that mind set it's not wonder your first reaction is to place blame instead moveing on and just fixing the problem. Fixing this does not require we blame anybody. Everything that needs to be done for the future can be done without placing blame. We can heal the people. We can fix the bridge. We can even increase future funding for improved maintenance. None of that require blaming anyone. Yet you felt that was the first, best course of action.

Deciding the cause of the problem prevents future problems and only idiots like you who advocate a "reactive" instead of a "proactive" approach would suggest otherwise. If we can prevent this from happening again than we should do so and that requires lying blame where it belongs and fixing the problem. We should indeed move forward but the family of those who died, those who were injured and those affected by the collapse have a right to know how it happened and to fix the problem. Even MNDOT accepted part of the blame in their Press Conferences and apologized because they unlike you are human beings who know what compassion is. You should serioulsy seek professional help because every person has a right to expect that they will live an inconvenience, risk, worry, and catastrophe free life. That if they are driving on a bridge they can expect that it will not collapse on them. This is an expectation regardless of your attempts to belittle it like the evil piece of shit that you are. You should tell the victims: YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO A CATASTROPHY FREE LIFE. TO BAD, TO SAD. CRY ALL YOU WANT BUT I HAVE AN OPINION AND YOUR LOSS BE DAMNED. Not only have you lied in your post but you have mocked the loss that people have suffered and I am not afraid to call your evil ass out on it. Your choice to resort to mocking the lose people have suffered sickens me.

 

[Gunny]

How the hell can you blame this on the city for not doing something they aren't responsible for doing? They are not responsible for state or federal roads and bridges. Have you ever heard of the concept of externalities or in other words this bridge is part of an interstate highway system and doesn't fall under the control or authority of the city or the county. Second, anyone who understands anything about economic growth understands that it is the proper domain of a city and county to build tourist attactions, to build parks and other facilities and to generally deal with economic growth issues and if that involves a tax increase it only makes sense to do so since the long-term revenue generated for the individual, businesses and the city off-sets the tax increase.

Did you read my entire post? Or are you just picking and choosing what you wish to hear, as usual?

For your edification: interstate or no ... once that road hits the city limits we damned sure pay for it here. The Fed gives the state a percentage of money for maintenance and that's the end of the Fed's involvement.

I DID state I didn't know how that varies from state to state, but here it would be the city's and state's fault if the money was not used for its intended purpose.

 

[Bern80]

To demonstrate that you are a liar here are some facts: "For the first three full months of light-rail service ridership totaled nearly 1.4 million, 96 percent higher than the goal. 'Rail ridership remains strong,' said Brian Lamb, general manager. 'Even though September is a month with just 30 days, we were able to generate ridership of more than 400,000, compared with 476,800 in August and 462,400 in July." The same article goes on to say "During September, weekday ridership averaged more than 14,200 rides, 49 percent higher than the goal of 9,500 each weekday. Weekend ridership continued to be strong with Saturdays averaging 14,100 against a projection of 4,300 and Sundays/holiday averaged 14,000 versus a projection of 2,100."

I don't need to say more than this since your statement that "Now we have this lovely state of the art light-rail system that on any given day you'll see one or two people using" is a lie. Also, state and federal law requires that studies be completed before undertaking such a project so your statement that "a light rail system for which no research was done to see if it would actually be used or not." For those of you who think I am over-reacting in my response to the liar Bern80 you can visit:

http://www.metrocouncil.org/about/facts/HiawathaLRTFacts.pdf

Here the following statement is made: "In 2006, the Hiawatha line carried 9.4 million passengers and averaged 28,200 riders per weekday, exceeding 2020 capacity projections by nearly 14 percent." So the studies have been done, estimates have been made and the ridership is far higher than the liar Bern80 claims it is. As I have already noted federal and state law requires that each city with a population over 50,000 have a Metropolitan Planning Organization and they are tasked with transportation as well. The planning that goes into the transportation system of a state, county and local cities is extensive and as someone who has been a part of this process I can attest that this light rail system would not have been built without extensive studies. I may not live in Minnesota but I do know enough about how things are done to know that Bern80 is a liar.



Deciding the cause of the problem prevents future problems and only idiots like you who advocate a "reactive" instead of a "proactive" approach would suggest otherwise. If we can prevent this from happening again than we should do so and that requires lying blame where it belongs and fixing the problem. We should indeed move forward but the family of those who died, those who were injured and those affected by the collapse have a right to know how it happened and to fix the problem. Even MNDOT accepted part of the blame in their Press Conferences and apologized because they unlike you are human beings who know what compassion is. You should serioulsy seek professional help because every person has a right to expect that they will live an inconvenience, risk, worry, and catastrophe free life. That if they are driving on a bridge they can expect that it will not collapse on them. This is an expectation regardless of your attempts to belittle it like the evil piece of shit that you are. You should tell the victims: YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO A CATASTROPHY FREE LIFE. TO BAD, TO SAD. CRY ALL YOU WANT BUT I HAVE AN OPINION AND YOUR LOSS BE DAMNED. Not only have you lied in your post but you have mocked the loss that people have suffered and I am not afraid to call your evil ass out on it. Your choice to resort to mocking the lose people have suffered sickens me.

Oh shut the fuck up Edward. I live less than 20 miles from where this happened. The victims are as aware as I am that shit happens. That doesn't mean I don't feel horrible about what happenned to them yoo tool. I see first hand everyday 'the thousands" of people that ride that train. You can count them on one hand most days. And so what if some people use it the point is the money granted by the federal governement is used by the state in which case they use it how they see fit. And the MN legislature sought fit to put a very bif chunk of that money into light-rail. No more people were not off the road because of the light-rail because there is no Northern spur to it at this point, which is where the bridge colapse was in relation to the city.

Placing blame helps nothing either. I don't believe anyone is to blame for this. The bridge wasn't updated because it was not deemed unsafe. Explain specifically how placing blame is going to yield and even better solution. As I said everything that needs to be done to fix this and prevent it in the future can be done without wasting time trying to find out who's feet we should lay this at.

You are so emotional and belligerent in everything you post that you probably couldn't be persuaded the sky is blue. You have so misconstrued and twisted everything I said that you aren't even worth my time

 

[Annie]

Just seems to fit:

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/05/08/10highwaybill.html

August 10, 2005
Congress passes reauthorization bill for federal transportation funding


U.S. President George Bush signed a $286.4 billion six-year transportation reauthorization bill Aug. 10, 2005 that covers federal fiscal years 2004-09.

Although the details of the reauthorization package are still being reviewed, Minnesota state and local governments can expect to receive about $3.5 billion in federal transportation funding through 2009, an increase of about 46 percent (or about $1.1 billion) over the previous six-year bill.

The bill is called SAFETEA-LU, which stands for “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users.”

Approximately 79 percent of the SAFETEA-LU funding is for highway programs, 18.5 percent for transit programs, and 2.5 percent for other programs such as motor carrier safety, national highway traffic safety, and research.

Lt. Gov./Commissioner Carol Molnau had been urging Congress to act quickly on the bill, noting that the lack of a reauthorization bill and the piecemeal fashion in which funding has been distributed to states under the short-term extensions have led to numerous problems and project delays across the country.

“After nearly two years of extensions, Mn/DOT is very pleased that Congress has finally passed a long-term transportation funding reauthorization bill. The new bill is good news for the country and will be of great benefit to Minnesota,” she said.

Molnau explained that the funding increases have long been anticipated, and Mn/DOT's current and long-range highway construction programs already reflect these higher funding levels.

“Many highway projects under construction throughout the state, and many planned for construction in the near future, are the beneficiaries of the new federal bill,” Molnau said.

*

The 1,752-page bill can be found at http://www.house.gov/rules/109textTEALU.htm .
*

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has additional information on its Web site at http://transportation1.org/aashtonew/.

 

[Edward]

Oh shut the fuck up Edward. I live less than 20 miles from where this happened. The victims are as aware as I am that shit happens. That doesn't mean I don't feel horrible about what happenned to them yoo tool.

I have no intention of shutting the fuck up but you can feel free to do so anytime asshole. How close you live to where this happened has nothing to do with your disregard for what has happened and I doubt very much that you know every victim therefore you cannot claim "the victims are as aware as I am that shit happens." That you would attempt to make such a general statement yet again demonstrates you are a retard. As I have already stated you have shown your willingness to mock the loss the victims of this disaster have suffered.

I see first hand everyday 'the thousands" of people that ride that train. You can count them on one hand most days.

You cannot count thousands on one hand retard. I know enough about how transit systems operate to know that you are lying and that it is impossible to count the number of riders on one hand. Since a train comes about every 10 minutes and since there are three sections to each train it makes sense that one train may not have any riders at one stop. Unless you have rode the train from the start to finish each day and counted each person in each section I think I will rely more on the statistics than on the claim of someone who is obviously a liar.

And so what if some people use it the point is the money granted by the federal governement is used by the state in which case they use it how they see fit. And the MN legislature sought fit to put a very bif chunk of that money into light-rail. No more people were not off the road because of the light-rail because there is no Northern spur to it at this point, which is where the bridge colapse was in relation to the city.

You lie yet again because the state doesn't get to use federal funding anyway they see fit. Local cities, counties, MPO's and the state request transportation funding from the federal government based on a specific project proposals so in other words the federal government gave the state this money for the light rail line. It therefore made sense for them to use the money for what they said they would use it for when they received the funding. There are strict regulations on how federal money is used and they must use the money for what it was allocated for. The Secretary of Transportation and the Department of Transportation is responsible for prioritizing replacement of bridges on Interstate Highwasy or which are a part of the National Highway System. Your attempt to make a connection between the state building a light rail system in Hennepin County and their not choosing to replace this bridge ignores the single fact that the funding in question is separate and that the Department of Transportation and its Secretary is responsible for bridges on Inter-State Highways. So I suggest you try again and not to lie next time.

Placing blame helps nothing either. I don't believe anyone is to blame for this. The bridge wasn't updated because it was not deemed unsafe. Explain specifically how placing blame is going to yield and even better solution. As I said everything that needs to be done to fix this and prevent it in the future can be done without wasting time trying to find out who's feet we should lay this at.

Placing blame where it belongs helps prevent future incidents from happening. It allows people and Congress to take corrective action and to deal with the problem so it doesn't happen again. But of course you don't believe in having accountability or getting to the bottom of a disaster. You have demonstrated your heartlessness and lack of compassion on more than one occasion and I for one intend to find out how this happened so that corrective action can be taken and this type of disaster prevented from happening in the future. It is idiotic to believe that no one is to blame and yet you do attempt to place blame at the feet of the state of Minnesota even though they have very little control over replacing the bridge in question and do not get to decide which bridges on the inter-state highway system will receive priority. So you yet again demonstrate that you are ignorant and a liar.

You are so emotional and belligerent in everything you post that you probably couldn't be persuaded the sky is blue. You have so misconstrued and twisted everything I said that you aren't even worth my time

Nothing I have said is emotional. Going after retards with as harsh words as possible isn't being emotional. It is necessar to point out that you have mocked the loss suffered by the victims of this catastrophy, and have lied and if no one is willing to do so this sort of attitude will continue. I haven't twisted what you have said but you can think otherwise so YOU CAN GO ON THINKING OF YOURSELF AS THE GREAT BERN80. It is you who are belligerent and you have demonstrated this time and again but what can you expect from a belligerent voter whose on a power trip. That you have repeatedly declared how and what the victims feel shows just how belligerent you are. Come on GOD BERNL, TELL US ALL HOW WE FEEL AND WHAT WE THINK. GIVE US YOUR VOTE ON OUR FEELINGS AND OUR THOUGHTS.

 

[Bern80]

I have no intention of shutting the fuck up but you can feel free to do so anytime asshole. How close you live to where this happened has nothing to do with your disregard for what has happened and I doubt very much that you know every victim therefore you cannot claim "the victims are as aware as I am that shit happens." That you would attempt to make such a general statement yet again demonstrates you are a retard. As I have already stated you have shown your willingness to mock the loss the victims of this disaster have suffered.



You cannot count thousands on one hand retard. I know enough about how transit systems operate to know that you are lying and that it is impossible to count the number of riders on one hand. Since a train comes about every 10 minutes and since there are three sections to each train it makes sense that one train may not have any riders at one stop. Unless you have rode the train from the start to finish each day and counted each person in each section I think I will rely more on the statistics than on the claim of someone who is obviously a liar.



You lie yet again because the state doesn't get to use federal funding anyway they see fit. Local cities, counties, MPO's and the state request transportation funding from the federal government based on a specific project proposals so in other words the federal government gave the state this money for the light rail line. It therefore made sense for them to use the money for what they said they would use it for when they received the funding. There are strict regulations on how federal money is used and they must use the money for what it was allocated for. The Secretary of Transportation and the Department of Transportation is responsible for prioritizing replacement of bridges on Interstate Highwasy or which are a part of the National Highway System. Your attempt to make a connection between the state building a light rail system in Hennepin County and their not choosing to replace this bridge ignores the single fact that the funding in question is separate and that the Department of Transportation and its Secretary is responsible for bridges on Inter-State Highways. So I suggest you try again and not to lie next time.



Placing blame where it belongs helps prevent future incidents from happening. It allows people and Congress to take corrective action and to deal with the problem so it doesn't happen again. But of course you don't believe in having accountability or getting to the bottom of a disaster. You have demonstrated your heartlessness and lack of compassion on more than one occasion and I for one intend to find out how this happened so that corrective action can be taken and this type of disaster prevented from happening in the future. It is idiotic to believe that no one is to blame and yet you do attempt to place blame at the feet of the state of Minnesota even though they have very little control over replacing the bridge in question and do not get to decide which bridges on the inter-state highway system will receive priority. So you yet again demonstrate that you are ignorant and a liar.



Nothing I have said is emotional. Going after retards with as harsh words as possible isn't being emotional. It is necessar to point out that you have mocked the loss suffered by the victims of this catastrophy, and have lied and if no one is willing to do so this sort of attitude will continue. I haven't twisted what you have said but you can think otherwise so YOU CAN GO ON THINKING OF YOURSELF AS THE GREAT BERN80. It is you who are belligerent and you have demonstrated this time and again but what can you expect from a belligerent voter whose on a power trip. That you have repeatedly declared how and what the victims feel shows just how belligerent you are. Come on GOD BERNL, TELL US ALL HOW WE FEEL AND WHAT WE THINK. GIVE US YOUR VOTE ON OUR FEELINGS AND OUR THOUGHTS.

If everybody thinks you're great and I'm such a liar why is your rep down the crapper while mine going strong? You don't the definition of lie. You don't know me. You can't pretend to know what a Minnesotan is because you aren't one. In short you're a know nothing.

 

[Edward]

Did you read my entire post? Or are you just picking and choosing what you wish to hear, as usual?

For your edification: interstate or no ... once that road hits the city limits we damned sure pay for it here. The Fed gives the state a percentage of money for maintenance and that's the end of the Fed's involvement.

I DID state I didn't know how that varies from state to state, but here it would be the city's and state's fault if the money was not used for its intended purpose.

Actually, the Secretary of Transportation and the Dept. of Transportation prioritizes the replacing and repair of bridges that are a part of an Interstate Highway. It is entirely the responsibility of the federal government to care for these bridges but they choose to administer this through the state. Federal law requires the Secretary of Transportation to prioritize the replacement of these bridges. Bridges that are a part of the National Highway System but are not a part of an interstate highway can also receive federal funding upon the request of the state who controls that highway.

City's are responsible for city roads including collectors, principal arterials, and minor arterials within the city. There's a city transportation infrastructure where the city is entirely responsible for city roads. They can request state and federal funding for these roads as necessary and there is a process by which they do this and they may or may not be approved for funding. Inside a city there are state roads which are the responsibility of the state. The city isn't responsible for maintaining or replacing these roads. The federal government is in-kind responsible for roads which are part of the interstate highway system. The states can request money from the federal government to replace or maintain state roads and bridges that are a part of the National Highway System but dont' fall under the authority of the federal government.

In fact, local cities cannot request federal money to replace a bridge that is part of an interstate because they have no authority to replace it. But they can request money from the federal government for city bridges which are not a part of an Interstate. Minnesota also has the same Transportation Planning system with the state Department of Transportation (MNDOT), Metropolitian Planning Organizations (MPO's), and transit authorities. Their system of government is the same as that of any other state in the country and their transportation planning infrastructure is essentially the same as that of any other state. They don't have anymore discretion over how federal transportation funds are used than does any other state. It is because of this that I know you are either really ignorant or a liar because the same federal programs, and the same method of administering them exist across state lines.

Also, federal funds wouldn't be used for anything other than its intended purpose. Are you suggesting the State and City stole federal money? If so please provide the names of the criminals. Because that is what they would have done. It's not a state by state thing. Federal law requires cities with a population larger than 50,000 to have a MPO, and the MPO, and the State Department of Transportation work with the Department of Transportation in planning for transportation. The same rules and regulations govern interstate highways that are a part of the National Highway System and the same system of planning exists. These rules are the same across the country. And the federal Secretary of Transportation and Department of Transportation is responsible for classifying and prioritizing bridges that are a part of the interstate highway system for replacement or repair. You can attempt to deny this but the reality remains the same.

What you failed to mention is that the Federal Government gives the State a percentage of each project and that the federal government is the one who prioritizes bridge projects that are a part of the interstate highway system. I would suggest that you try again.

 

[Annie]

As I thought, the primary responsibility of maintance falls on state/county:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/interstate.cfm

........Interstate Maintenance (IM) Program

The FHWA first became involved with funding for maintenance activities on the Interstate System as a result of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1976 that established the 3R program to fund interstate resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1981 expanded the program by adding a fourth R, reconstruction. The 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) terminated the I-4R program, except for a small discretionary setaside, established a new IM program and a separate NHS program which includes the Interstate System. The IM funds may be used on the Interstate System for 3R work and for reconstruction of bridges, interchanges and overcrossings along existing Interstate routes, but may not be used for the construction of new travel lanes other than high occupancy vehicle lanes or auxiliary lanes.

The 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) expanded eligibility for funding under the IM program to the 4th R, reconstruction. As a result, the addition of new interchanges, new rest areas, new noise walls, etc. became eligible for IM funding. However, IM funding of added lanes, except HOV and auxiliary lanes, are not allowed........