Quote:
Originally Posted by Normal
If the bridge is rebuilt it could cost up to 350 million dollars.
Your browser is not supported | usatoday.com
First you will have those that will want to redesign the whole thing etc. Everyone will have a better idea. Then the politicians will take their pokes at it which can be a very scary thing financially. Finally, engineers and contractors will get together for the boots on the ground rebuild. Does anyone really see this getting done in less than 4 years time? The new, improved, more costly bridge is gonna take a while. |
I agree that the most time-consuming part may be the politics. But it doesn't have to be. I recall the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. There was a lot of pressure applied by the companies and people whose livelihoods depended on that bridge: there were other routes but like is most likely the case in Baltimore those "other routes" were lengthier and far more time-consuming. To their credit the powers-that-be in Minnesota shelved the politics in large part, got the design approved and contractors contracted, and the new bridge was completed in 14 1/2 months: date of collapse August 1, 2007, date of completion September 18, 2007--three months ahead of schedule and at $234 million, under budget.
Granted, not quite the same scenario or bridge, but it DOES show what can be accomplished if politics and profiteering are, as much as possible anyway, avoided.