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Herald Editorial Board

Bob Bolerjack,
Opinion Editor
bolerjack@heraldnet.com

Carol MacPherson,
Editorial Writer
cmacpherson@
heraldnet.com


Allen Funk,
Herald Publisher
funk@heraldnet.com

Kim Heltne,
Assistant to the Publisher
heltne@heraldnet.com

Send letters to the editor by e-mail to letters@heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-339-3458 or mail to The Herald - Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Monday


Pearl Harbor's voices of the past
Taxes needed to close state's growing deficit?
Grant could help county's residents all be heal...
Sunday


Swine flu lingers, making traditional flu seaso...
Two vie to serve as Snohomish County prosecutor
Families get an early gift: free Christmas trees
Saturday


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Fears over commercial air service at Paine Fiel...
Donated safe gives Marysville museum a mystery
Friday


From behind bars, pal tells Colton Harris-Moore...
Commercial airlines would cause few problems at...
Fund set up to benefit children of couple kille...
Thursday


5 die of swine flu in Snohomish County
Red Cross honors acts of heroism, many by ordin...
Barista clothing rules delayed by County Council
Wednesday


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‘One bad choice' blamed in death of 4 fri...
Reps. Larsen, Inslee split on Obama's plans for...
Tuesday


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Crash victim warned his students against DUI
 

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Published: Sunday, August 5, 2007

New urgency to replace our most perilous spans

It will take time to determine why a freeway bridge in Minneapolis collapsed last week, but this much is certain: pretending that such a disaster can't happen here is a deadly delusion.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has ordered an updated report on the condition of the state's bridges, and state Department of Transportation engineers will be reviewing current inspection reports to see whether more thorough examinations are needed. The state's bridge inspection and maintenance programs have been aggressive in recent years, so there's reason to have confidence in the structural integrity of the vast majority of spans local drivers use.

There are, however, two large, heavily used exceptions: the Alaskan Way viaduct and the Highway 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington. Engineers have long warned that the two structures are in danger of failure - the viaduct in an earthquake, the floating bridge in a major storm.

We've already seen it happen. Remember the 1989 Bay Area earthquake, when double-deck Nimitz Freeway collapsed, killing 42 people? How about the sinking of the Hood Canal Bridge in 1979, or of the I-90 floating bridge on Lake Washington in 1990? Yet these two clear dangers remain, one awaiting funding for a replacement, both awaiting design.

The city of Seattle and the state have been unable to agree on the design of a viaduct replacement, even with $2.8 billion already dedicated to it. Lives are at stake, not to mention the ability to move goods and people around the region. If the Minneapolis tragedy doesn't get officials in the mood to compromise and get started, what in the name of public safety will?

And while the roads and transit package on the November ballot can't be considered an infrastructure-maintenance measure, it does include $1.1 billion for the 520 bridge which, combined with tolls and other revenues, should be enough to replace it. Each year the current, aging structure stays in service, it becomes more of a potential danger.

Whatever the cause of the disaster in Minnesota, it serves as a stark reminder that bridges and other infrastructure don't last forever, and must be well-maintained. Keeping bridges safe, and replacing them before they wear out, is expensive, to be sure. But we surely can't afford the alternative.

1. Man arrested in fatal shooting of brother
2. Highway 9 crash victims memorialized
3. Taxes needed to close state's growing deficit?
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5. Fire sends shoppers fleeing JC Penney at Alderwood
6. Snohomish salon owner has a venture with style
7. Pearl Harbor's voices of the past
8. Vikings’ Henderson breaks leg against Cardinals
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This Weekend in Your Town
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