What is it about the American psyche that hates maintenance? Is it the reminder that we’re still where we were? We haven’t moved on to some fresh paradise, haven’t built sparkling new cities in the middle of nowhere? Samuel L Schwartz, New York’s chief engineer for four years twenty years ago writes an understandably impatient Op-Ed piece today. “Catch Me, I’m Falling,” about how much money we would save if we took care of our bridges instead of waiting for them to crack. Not to mention lives.

Rather than lubricating the bearing plates that allow the Williamsburg Bridge to slide back and forth with changes in temperature and loads, we let the bearing plates jam, which cracked the concrete pedestal the span sat on. Twice a year we needed to stop traffic, jack the bridge up and slide the pedestal back in place. Instead of coating the bridge’s steel, we allowed it to become nearly paper-thin. This required the replacement of beams, which made the repairs eligible for federal funds, instead of merely a paint job with city money.

And what is a story about the whiff of corruption, coming from programs for studying abroad, doing on the front page?

Drop me a line at rjk@dailyblague.com
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