Guest Post by Stephen Green
Could it really take twice as long and four times as much money to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge than it did to build it in the first place?
The Key Bridge was built at a cost (adjusted for inflation) of about $200 million. Replacing it could take a decade and cost $400 million to $800 million dollars, according to experts in what has become a dismal field.
“To actually recreate that whole transportation network” could take a decade or more, structural engineer Ben Schafer told USA Today on Wednesday. Huge projects, Schafer said, now take “rarely less than 10 years.”
Well, they didn’t use to.
By comparison, the Apollo program that put a man on the moon required seven years, eight months, and 23 days. And — this is the really exciting part — everything about Apollo, from the massive Saturn V rocket to the “tiny” flight computer, had to be created from scratch. Those seven-and-a-half years included a monthslong delay following the tragic loss of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee during an Apollo 1 dress rehearsal that ended in a deadly crew capsule fire.
Construction began on the Hoover Dam on July 7, 1930, and five years later, it was complete. It started generating electrical power on Sept. 11, 1936 — exactly six years, two months, and four days after the first shovelful of dirt was moved.
The Empire State Building was fully erect (heh) after just one year and 45 days of construction.
But those were all 20th Century projects, back when we used to get things done. Welcome to 21st Century America, where everything is needlessly time-consuming, expensive, stupid, or (most likely) all three.
The timing “all depends on factors that are still mostly unknown,” the AP explained. “They range from the design of the new bridge to how swiftly government officials can navigate the bureaucracy of approving permits and awarding contracts.”
Let me help you out on this one, fellas.
You have the original plans stashed somewhere, I’m sure. Those plans have already been run through the bureaucratic torture test — and the bridge stood without any problems for almost 50 years until a massive container ship struck one of its vitals.
So just get started ASAP building the same bridge, but with concrete “dolphins” or fenders around the new supporting piers to avoid future disasters like the one that collapsed the original.
But everyone knows that won’t happen. The replacement bridge will have to be new and somehow improved — or so they’ll claim — and require months or years of study on the environmental impacts, even though there’s been a bridge there for 50 years already. Hiring contractors will likely take twice as long as they’ll have to meet strict new DEI standards. Competence and speed? Tertiary considerations, at best.
Planners will likely require three years just to decide on a new name. They’ll eventually settle on “The George Floyd-Pete Buttigieg Antiracist Inclusive Transit Structure” or some such BS.
This is why we can’t have nice things anymore. That’s not entirely true, of course. We can have nice things — sometimes. But only when the stars align, the tea leaves are correct, and the progressives are distracted by something even shinier.
But it always takes too long and costs too much to get them.
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Don’t forget all the time it takes to build in the various grifts, cons, and siphoning of various federal and state funds.
Speaking of which WHY are ANY tax dollars being used for this??? The shipping company didn’t have insurance? I can even drive my truck a mile down the road without being insured up the wazoo.
Oh yeah….an insurance investigation may reveal some….ahem…inconsistencies.
And ten years is a feature not a bug. More pain for us dirt people
Government grifters got to grift.
Hmmm if only we didn’t have government grifters?
As one writer has pointed out, the reason the Taxpayers are going to pay for the new bridge is so that the insurance companies won’t conduct an investigation into the true causes of its destruction. I mean, we can’t have another ‘inconvenient truth’ lurking in the background, can we?
This bridge was sabotaged!!!!!!!
If you look at the video looking straight on you’ll see a ship bumping the Pylon to the right of the Dali and as soon as the bridge starts collapsing, you can see the explosions right where the bridge separates proving this bridge was sabotaged, no different that the WTC in 2001, they are playing the American people and we all just sit back and think the government has it all under control when they’re the ones IN CONTROL!!!!
Judging by all the down votes, I CLEARLY struck a nerve with these criminals which helps to expose the TRUTH, thanks guys!!!!!
I saw no explosions. They create very bright flashes and copiuos smoke.
But what convinced me this was intentional is the shipping map tracking of the ship. It was centered in the channel millions of ships have used safely for decades, and ir suddenly veers right into the vulnerble support pylon. We are being lied to yet again. This was without question intentional. The question now is who ordered it.
What are you, a moron? You really think this ship was insured for billions? Really? That is world class stupid right there.
Tax dollars the bankers can just print. Insurance settlements come out of their pocket. Thats the whole scam. Keep the profits private, charge the “losses” to the “government” and let them steal it from you.
From the time and cost estimates maybe we shouldn’t let a military contractor rebuild the damned thing! What I can’t understand is why President “Pantshitter” offered to rebuild with taxpayer money…doesn’t international shipping have insurance.
A decade to rebuild is bullshit.
My late father-in-law was the project manager for rebuilding the Tasman Bridge in Hobart, Tasmania when it collapsed after it was struck by a zinc ore barge. The major problem was debris recovery from the deep chasm, so he build a new bridge upriver in shallower water to accommodate road traffic while the debris recovery commenced. It took several years to complete the project in the days before DEI. But not a freaking decade. This is about climate and incompetency again I reckon.
Side note. The Tasman Bridge collapse made one guy into a billionaire – Bob Clifford. He owned the only ferry service between the two shores of Hobart and when the bridge went down he got the state contract to buy and operate another couple of boats to ferry passengers as the upstream bridge was being constructed. Took that money and started designing catamarans. He now has the US Navy contract for high speed troop transport vessels. Those catamarans we see racing during the cup are his design. So a collapsed bridge now allow billionaires to race each others catamarans.
Pretty sure the limits are not the physical ability to build.
One World Trade Center (“Freedom Tower”) opened its doors 13 years after 9/11.
It seems to me that $800 million and a decade are insanely naive lowball estimates.
The real question is how many more critical infrastructure installations will experience similar “accidents” within that decade.
As an aside, the law does not countenance accidents. That is, there is no such thing as an accident in law. There is only negligence. Always.
That no one appears to even be looking for who bears the blame for this negligence, that they’re chalking it up as an “accident” that was really nobody’s fault (Whoopsie), and instantly that fedgov/ taxpayers will step forward to foot the bill should tell everyone that this wasn’t even negligence. It’s a coverup. The only thing they would conceivably want to cover up is an attack that they were(and continue to be) unprepared to defend against. It’s also not a false flag or there would have been an alleged “attacker” already named and a demonization propaganda program against them on tv 24/7.
The only candidates are China, Russia, and Israel. Silence about who did the attacking speaks volumes.
It could be an accident. About 9 years ago we had a supply boat’s GPS go haywire and it collided with one of our oil production platforms when crew wasn’t paying attention. I’m inclined to buy the bad fuel (water in system) killing all operating systems – including steering – in an older vessel.
You’re not getting it. Everything you just described is NEGLIGENCE that comes with legal LIABILITY.
Nobody seems to be talking about holding liable anyone involved in the operation of that ship. They seem to be just saying, “Whoopsie! Accidents happen. Oh well. Nothing we can do about it but have John Q Public build us another.”
The law NEVER allows that … unless there’s corruption, blackmail, etc. Someone is always at fault in the eyes of the law.
I do get it. There is negligence and there is sabotage. I’m more inclined to the negligence.
A well reasoned argument, I’d say. Particularly your last statement. Attacks by Israel on the civilized world are always met with silence. I wonder why that is?
Or maybe Richard Cheney…..?
It might have something to do with those missing two minutes in the black box recorder. Ask Nixon how inconvenient that can look.
That port is primarily for cars and farm equipment.
Hmmm….bunch of EVs laying around no one wants…..no more gas car imports…
TPTB also keep railing against farming……no beef, eat bugs….
You don’t know what you are talking about. Clifford ran out and bought ferries to service a need. And he sure as hell didn’t become a billionaire. And that Tasman bridge was tiny compared to the Baltimore bridge.
There’s plenty of illegal alien sidewalk shitters to build a brand new bridge. It will take some time after it’s built to paint it in rainbow colors.
“There’s plenty of illegal alien sidewalk shitters to build a brand new bridge”.
Hmmmm……,interesting idea,are we using their bones for new bridge?
It is funny, when they said illegals (I assumed) were filling potholes on the bridge, I thought there is a good use for them. Though maybe a bit squishy to drive over.
Maybe the CPI figures baked into the “adjusted for inflation” are inordinately low. 😉
Bridge was built in 1967 at a cost of $220 million https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_(Baltimore)
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl
“By comparison, the Apollo program that put a man on the moon required seven years, eight months, and 23 days. ”
bbbbbwwwhwwhhahahahahhahahhaahahahahahhhhaaaahhahhahhhhaaaahahaahhahahhahahahaha!!!!!
good one dipshit.
10 years my ass. they could hire a bunch of knee grows, especially from boeing, and have it done in 3 weeks, or hire trump of warp fuck fame and have it done in 9 months.
then we can celebrate it during black history month.
If you think maff is hard try building a non racist, non homophobic, non trans-phobic, non misogynist, green and carbon neutral, DEI bridge with lots of EV chargers so EV’s can make it all the way across the bridge without a tow.
Could take a couple of centuries to agree on anything about building this bridge.
I am unofficially running for president.
As president I will veto any bill until the budget is balanced. I will also veto any bill that gives congress a raise until all debt is paid off.
How are you going to pay the debt off? With federal reserve notes?
Can’t pay off debt with debt.
The Fed and the gubmint beg to disagree.
United States Notes. That would make the bankers crap.
Here’s how the debt could be paid in full for almost nothing. Congress can always buy out the Federal Reserve, it’s in their law. But the banker crooks will only take gold. Congress could pass a law authorizing the creation of a single gold coin and declare it to be worth the entire national debt plus the amount to buy out the Fed.
Of course, the bankers own the government so I don’t expect they will throw themselves out of their own temple.
‘Can’t pay off debt with debt.’
You must have missed the whole story about T-bills and every other form of government debt … even some corporate debt …
You have my vote , if voting counts.
I’m going to unofficially vote for you — twice … maybe thrice …
They want to make the new bridge…wait for it….GREEN.
…..and not the color.
A pedestrian bridge.
… on pontoons — to keep the port (and the roadway) closed forever.
they can take the plans for the Gordie Howe bridge being built in Detroit and use them. It is almost done and the contractor has an experienced team . This may not work if the Howe bridge is not hurricane rated. There are plans for dozens of bridges built in the last 20 years that could be modified for this project.
The bridge over Tampa, bay has held up to hurricanes.
It’s all about the depop, kid. The rest is conversation. It may never be rebuilt. Agenda 21/2030 and all. The more societal disruption on the way to Deagel 2025, the better. East Palestine, OH derailment, fertilizer and eggs blowing up, fentanyl, gun rights for border jumpers, no-bail releases of violent scum, small farming shut down by .gov, other green agenda nonsense, trans psyop, etc.
This may clear up some of the discrepancies around the bridge collapse.
Russia and China could get it done in months.
the chinese bridge could also fall down in days.
The design award will go to a gay/tranny mixed race (no white allowed) illegal DEI architecture/engineering “graduate.” Construction contract will go to a lesbian black female-oned company with no actual experience, but a great website that praises diversity over qualifications and is filled with images of their booths at pride events and their sponsored drag queen story hours at their neighborhood elementary school.
In other words,. They are never going to build that bridge.
The way the world appears to be turning brings me to the same conclusion.
Hoax.
Safe to assume triple the budget/years behind schedule and yes it will be named after a nigger or a faggot.
So The “Big Mike Obama, Tranny Freakshow Bridge?”
Sure ….why not ?
Auntie thinks it’s a draw: either Freddy Gray or St George of Fentanyl Memorial Bridge.
Named after either Thurgood Marshall or Elijah Cummins, both famous blacks from MD.
And because the ship is positioned over a high pressure gas line it’s going to be a while before it’s moved away from.the bridge.
Do this, hold a basket ball under just water with a brick sitting on top just out of the water. Remove the brick and see what happens. The removal of the structure draped over the bow is fraught with danger. The bow needs to be secured by either Flooding or other methods to prevent Positive buoyancy causing more death. This is just one of the problems facing the recovery crews
Bring back ferry boats … Oh wait we don’t have the ability to build those either my bad.
We could use those littoral landing ships the navy had built…oh wait, didn’t they all burn to the waterline?
I’m open to hearing why common sense wouldn’t be that some degree of shipping traffic couldn’t be restored fairly quickly at least -meaning as soon as debris is removed freeing the shipping lane, a looooooong stall would begin until final rebuilding plans are finished, then even during construction whenever there’s still shipping lane room not being impacted by construction yet, ships could continue to pass. Therefore why wouldn’t it be clear that the continued negative impacts of closure are deliberate if not done this way?
Fuck the Baltimore bridge; instead, just send the money to Z in K1ev for all the infrastructure projects needed there or you are a hater.
> By comparison, the Apollo program that put a man on the moon required seven years, eight months, and 23 days LOL. What a shame is has taken half a century to get man “back to the moon”
Best of Bidet bridge.
The Bidet Build Back Better Bridge of Baltimore …
The bidet and buttgig build back better bridge of Baltimore.
Quite likely it will never happen!
How many small disadvantaged 8-A companies MUST be involved in this rebuild? Will an 8-A be required to be the prime / system integrator…..?
The problem is not rebuilding it. The problem is that once rebuilt, it could then be destroyed again. It is the same problem as with Nord Stream pipeline.
Bridge to Hawaii
Tofumac Published 04/12/2008
A man is walking along the beach and he trips on a magic lamp, he polishes it off and a genie comes out.
“I will grant you one wish” says the genie.
The man thinks for a while and he finally says, “You know, I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I’ve been too scared to fly on a plane, and boats always make me seasick, so I want you to make a bridge to Hawaii.”
The genie replies, “Are You Crazy!?!? That would be almost impossible, do you know how deep the ocean is, that would be such a long drive, it just isn’t structurally possible. Make another wish”
The guys thinks again and then he says, “I’ve had plenty of relationships but I could never make them last more than a few months, I just don’t understand women. I wish I could understand women.”
Then genie looks at him dumbfounded and finally says, “Do you want that bridge two lane or four?”
I always heard it as a black guy found the lamp and his wish was to be white and surrounded by pussy. So the genie made him into a tampon.
Yours is cleaner
‘Sooner or later we all sit down to a banquet of consequences’ The Banquet was prepared a long time ago and eat at it you will.
Ok, I will be the first to admit it, I can be an asshole. Texas and Florida should prioritize sending diversity arrivals to Baltimore. Point out that “Diversity is our strength!” Right? Especially as it relates to new cuisines from foreign isle’s.
Next up would be funding for environmental lawsuits. Because we wouldn’t want some inconsequential critter like a snail darter to perish just for Baltimore’s benefit.
Trump just popped a couple of billion and could slip a few bucks but the best choice would be to act and fundraise as a environmental organization.
Suggestions for other forms of lawfare / oops, I mean hoisting the rat bastards upon their own petards gratefully accepted.
“The George Floyd-Pete Buttigieg Antiracist Inclusive Transit Structure”
That is too long. it will get shortened to the “Butta-bridge”
How long did it take to build the Kerch Strait Bridge and how much did it cost? The Kerch Bridge or Crimean Bridge cost $3.7 billion to build. Construction started in February 2016. Construction ended in April 2018 for the road bridge and December 2019 for the rail bridge.Aug 31, 2023
That Kerch Bridge is 12 miles over water
The Bridge In Baltimore Is A Monument Of Incompetence
Than wreckage should be cleared by the end of next week or the week after
Just imagine how much money the political class could siphon off the top if Obiden decides to pay the entire cost of this bridge, plus, by making this declaration, it also stops any an all insurance company investigations into what caused this bridge to collapse as they certainly don’t want to “Accidentally” expose all the explosives used to drop that bridge now do they?
You need to factor in all of the Democrap kickbacks, union contracts,(construction, steel workers, iron workers, truckers, barge workers, crane operators, laborers) so lets add 20 million minimum. As others have said there will be the rename that includes homos, tranies, earthies, greenies, and anyone non Christian.
Instead of putting up a suspention bridge central cables design that is stronger and more resilient to (attack) crashes.
What else can be said, it’ll take years instead of 2 years.
The story is whining about how long and how much it will cost to replace that bridge.
RIGHT NOW, THOSE ARE THE WRONG QUESTIONS!!!
There was a time, less than 50 years ago, there was no bridge and people managed.
THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ARE:
Why are there no heavy lift cranes on site by now?
What is holding up the clearing the channel?
I saw a picture of one tiny crane that I doubt could lift more than a few tons mounted on a tiny barge.
I have read that there are “2” Navy ships inside that harbor that could help in the channel clearing.
Why do I not read about other assets all ready in route.
With the bureaucratic dicking around, it fuels the conclusions that the destruction of the bridge is deliberate.
If this happened during the early 1940s, that debris would have been nearly all cleared by now.
So what if there is a high pressure gas line under that bridge.
Shut the gas off and drag what they can away to clear the channel.
Repair or replace the gas line latter.
This whole Country has become castrated and can not do the job that “MEN” in the past did with much less.
**** the Permits and Bureaucracy!
Get the Job done and worry about the paperwork latter.
These things do not just happen.
The barge that floated into a bridge somewhere else appears to be a distraction creating the propaganda that “these things happen all the time”.
The Ship by design had banks of batteries to control the ships functions in case of catastrophic failure and would be on line is less than 1/2 second and, likely had enough capacity to run a bow thruster if the ship had any.
The rudder is most likely electric over hydrolic.
If the rudder was straight before the power outage (smoke screen) the rudder would have stayed in the straight position and floated safely through under the bridge.
Most every “Disaster” in my life time (nearly 68 years), has happened under questionable circumstances.
I have experience in building and remodeling for 40 years.
I know what it takes to tare things down and put up the replacement.
Joe will take care of the Unions on this one. There will be more workers on the payroll than on the jobsite. Plus the environmental studies. The added bike path. Solar panels for LED lighting. Then it will be named for some lefty progressive loser….
The Second Coming will precede the opening of this new bridge.
Thanks to the autistic blue haired Twinkie’s the bridge will look like something out of Idiocracy.
The best analysis I’ve seen so far on this incident is here:
Although I think it’s great that so many are skeptical, and looking at this event as a possible attack, so far I haven’t found a JFK/Oklahoma City/9-11 type smoking gun… let alone dozens of them. I see a lot of people cherry picking things, or exaggerating elements.
How did 1:03 of “no sensor data” turn into 2 or 3 minutes of “no recording” all over the web?
“Lara Logan has multiple intel sources!” OK, what do the sources say?
If you want to take control of a ship, would you start by shutting down all of its electronic systems?
“This was a planned attack”… So, the evil ones control the tide, the current, and the wind?
“The captain was Ukrainian!” Who cares. The harbor pilot was giving the orders on the bridge.
Dock workers commented on YouTube that the ship had lost all power twice while loading. Why doesn’t anyone think this is worth repeating?
“Where were the tug boats?” They put the ship on course, and then disengaged so they wouldn’t be capsized as has happened to tugs in the past.
There’s a lot more technical data, if you read the input from ONLY MARINERS.
Pathetic, In China they could rebuild this bridge in a week. USA is a disgrace, they just don’t know it. So So SAD how foolish Americans really are.
No one yet has put a man on the moon. Suggest they get Russian engineers to rebuild the bridge