Talking Traffic

Today is the one year anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the wikipedia article. Most of the relevant info is there.

The Interstate bridge collapsed during evening rush hour on August 1, 2007. Thirteen people died and approximately 100 were injured. The reason for the catastrophic failure of the bridge has not been determined precisely, but early findings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) pointed at an original design flaw in the Gusset Plates (details here).

This tragedy has underscored a problem that the U.S. is facing: aging infrastructure requires maintenance or replacement. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Infrastructure Report Card, the price of maintaining and upgrading the United States public infrastructure (roads, bridges, airports, utlilities, harbors, buildings and everything else) at an adequate level is approximately $1.7 trillion over five years (that’s $340 billion annually). Without a continued investment you run into issues such as degrading roadways, leaking sewage systems, inadequate water supplies, congested airports, etc. It is a fact that this nation continues to grow and the infrastructure representing its nerves and veins must grow with it. Look at Singapore and Manila. Those two cities are so overwhelmed by traffic congestion (to take only one example from transportation) that almost all deliveries from the ports occur at night; the trucks simply cannot move during the day. I’d hate to see that happen to Baltimore, or Savannah, or Long Beach.

$340 billion is a very big number, but let’s remember that Congress fell all over itself to send $200 million to Minnesota to replace the I-35W bridge. If they can snap-count a number that big, I think it’s reasonable to find some additional funding on an annual basis to assist the states in replacing and maintaining the existing infrastructure. 27% of the nation’s bridges are currently rated as strucutrally deficient as of 2005 (which does not mean in imminent danger of collapse, so don’t worry too much) which is an improvement from several years previously, but is too high. Unfortunately, the only way to improve that number is through funding because bridges need constant maintenance and eventual replacement to keep up with the growing traffic demand.

Do I have a proposed solution? I do not. I am not a finance geek or a politician. I, along with many others in my field, see a looming problem which if unaddressed will only lead to bigger problems in the future.

So, remember the I-35W collapse. While it apparently wasn’t directly caused by insufficient funding for maintenance, it is a bellwhether for problems to come.

Too Much Congestion? Eliminate Half the Vehicles!: An odd/even system of vehicle restriction is being looked at as an option to reduce the congestion of Bangalore.

Mine’s Better!: I think my diagram of a Gusset plate is better. But at least this news story from Kansas has one, which is better than most.

Google Transit: Google’s latest foray is a trip planner that utilizes public transit. Currently it has limited coverage, but I’m sure it will go up.

I-35 Gusset Plate Failures may not be alone: The I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis failed because its Gusset plates were too thin. This may be a more pervasive problem than was first realized.

Tolls are the Way of the Future?The NY Times discusses tolling as a method of transportation funding.

Trans Texas Corridor Public Meetings: If you’re familiar with Texas’ proposed new system of highway/transit/rail/utility corridors, you’ll be happy to know that Public Meetings for the first section are under way. The Trans Texas Corridor is a system of highways separate from the existing Interstate Highway system, intended to move things at high speed from one point to another. They will not go through cities, like the Interstate system does.

I-35 Bridge Collapse Interim Finding: The NTSB has issued a statement about the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Apparently, the Gusset plates were undersized, which may have contributed to the collapse.

From the Press Release:

“Although the Board’s investigation is still on-going and no determination of probable cause has been reached, interim findings in the investigation have revealed a safety issue that warrants attention,” said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “During the wreckage recovery, investigators discovered that gusset plates at eight different joint locations in the main center span were fractured. The Board, with assistance from the FHWA, conducted a thorough review of the design of the bridge, with an emphasis on the design of the gusset plates. This review discovered that the original design process of the I-35W bridge led to a serious error in sizing some of the gusset plates in the main truss.”

It’s my understanding that some of the Gusset plates on the I-35 bridge were found to be half as thick as they should have been. In this type of bridge, these are critical structural members. Here is a quick diagram of a Gusset plate:

Interstate 35 Bridge as Compared to State Budget: The Governor of Minnesota has released his recommendations for transportation funding for the next year. It looks like he’s asking for $2.1 billion in assorted funding. The new I-35 bridge has a budget allocation of $250 million, 100% of which is Federal Funding, not impacting the state budget. Nice bridge.

Traffic Congestion in India: American drivers are exceptionally tame and law-abiding compared to some of our brethren in other countries.

Transportation Alternatives Advocate for New York Non-Automobiles: Do you live or work in NYC? Do you walk or bike? Then read the Transportation Alternatives website.

Texas Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Report: The TTI Urban Mobility report for this year is out, dealing with 2005 data. Congestion is up; that’s no surprise. Time spent in traffic climbed to 4.2 billion hours in 2005, up from 4.0 billion. The full report can be found at the TTI website.

Green Vehicles in Frankfurt: I’m continually amused by the transition of the adjective “green” from “this thing is colored green” to “I’m a super-duper world-saving environmental process/vehicle/practice/industry”. Inhabit reports on green vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

I-35 Bridge Rebuilding Contract Awarded: Minnesota has awarded a contract to Flatiron Constructors Inc. to rebuild the collapsed I-35E bridge. The Price? $233.8 Million. A bargain.

Bicycle vs. Automobile: News about the ongoing conflict between bicycles and larger motorized vehicles, out of San Diego.

Increase Safety be Reducing Comfort: A German town has followed the lead of several Netherlands projects by removing traffic signals and stop signs and other positive control devices. The theory is that with less direction, drivers/pedestrians/cyclists will be forced to pay more attention and act accordingly.

Teen Driving in Kansas: Kansas is pursuing more restrictive teen-driving regulations in order to gradually ease teens into the driving milieu. Statistics show that teen drivers are more likely to get into collisions not because of drinking or cellphone use, but because of inexperience.

Transporting Chickens: Don’t drive with chickens in your trunk (or cocaine in your cigarettes).

I-35 Bridge Wagons are Circling: There is blood in the water, and the scent of lawsuits in the air. Not to put to fine a point on it, but this is exactly what this case does not need. As I discussed in Episode 2, there are lessons to be learned from this tragedy, but no one will learn anything if all the time is spent trying to sue someone with deep pockets.

Internal Documents from MnDOT About I 35W Bridge Maintenance: The Star Tribune of Minneapolis/St. Paul is digging into the recent history of bridge maintenance activities and decisions.

China Trying Dictatorial Traffic Congestion Solutions: Want to cut traffic congestion?  Just ban 50% of the vehicles from the road.  It certainly cuts down on the need for driver incentives.  As it turns out, it might not make much difference.

Kerfuffle on the Zakim Bridge in Boston: Some of the plates that attach the cables on this cable-stayed bridge are a bit warped, raising questions about safety.

Urban Transportation Report Card: Streetsblog discusses the urban transportation report card, a listing of the carbon-friendliness of some American cities.

Topics: I-35W bridge collapse; bridge sufficiency rating; ethics and legality of being a professional engineer. 

 Episode 2 - Bridge Sufficiency Rating and Ethical Obligations: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Talking Traffic Episode 002 - Bridge Sufficiency Rating and Ethical Obligations

Good day, and thanks for listening to Talking Traffic, the podcast about explaining the basics of transportation issues. I’m Bill Ruhsam and I host this podcast and its sister website, talkingtraffic.org. Today is August 20, 2007 and this is episode 2, the Bridge Sufficiency Diaries. Continue Reading »

• Five Cities awarded Close to $900M: Five american cities have been awarded funds as a part of the US federal government’s Urban Partnership Program.  New York, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Miami have been awarded varying amounts of funds.
• Minneapolis is Respecting the Disaster Site: The site of the I-35W bridge collapse is being restricted from view as much as possible, in respect for the dead.
• Traffic Light of Death!: Any blog entry that pops into my feedreader with this title gets a look-see. The topic may not be wholly fascinating, but the prose that accompanies it definitely is.
• US DOT Not Committed to Bicycles: Malcomxpark reports that Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters does not feel that bicycles are transportation.  He links to another blog with transcripts of interviews with secretary Peters.  You won’t find me being the administration’s defender all that frequently, however Mary Peters seems to be a levelheaded middle-of-the-road Transportation Secretary.  The policies being criticized are rampant throughout the country, not only with this administration.  Americans love their cars and trucks and have not been culturally raised to respect the bicycle.  This attitude is reflected at every level of the transportation infrastructure process, from policy to planning to construction, including funding, which is the linchpin that everything turns on.  To have a bicycle-friendly nation, we need to work with everyone, not just rail at the administration.
• German Prognostication: German Autobahn traffic experts want to predict traffic jams a day in advance.  Sounds cool, I hope they manage it. 

• Don’t Know which way is North? Fight about it! Two men have a round of fisticuffs due to an argument whether Pennsylvannia is north or south of Virginia. As someone mentioned in the comments, I sincerely hope that the drunk one though VA was north of PA.  This link brought to us through the kind services of Matt Rosenberg who also has a link to an article about the Clearview highway sign font.
• Improving Traffic Safety in the US: If you’re interested in a very very long report, please click through to the Improving Traffic Safety Culture in the United States: The Journey Forward, produced by the AAA foundation.  I haven’t gotten through this whole thing yet, but it is cogent and the introduction is worth the read for anyone.
• Arbitrary Speed Limit Changes . . . Don’t Work: The Chattanoogan reports on speed limit changes on Signal Mountain.  The article describes the enforcement regime, which claims to have reduced the average speed, although they don’t say by how much.  The article uses a bunch of numbers that don’t necessarily demonstrate any changes. Reductions in certain speed bins do not (necessarily) show a statistically significant change in traffic patterns.  I’m going to call the police dept. at Signal Mountain and see if they documented this study.
• Bridge Collapse in China: This bridge was under construction when it collapsed, not in service.  Thanks to the Transportationist for the tipoff
• Angkor Died due to Infrastructure Collapse: According to this article the ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia was the largest metropolitan area of a preindustrial nation.  It failed due to a lack of basic infrastructure maintenance.  This has some resonance given all the uproar about the I-35W bridge collapse
• Senator Clinton Urges a Quick and Thorough Analysis: In 2005 Senator Clinton amended the SAFETEA-LU (”Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users” and don’t get me started about names for transportation bills…) to include a comprehensive study of the nation’s infrastructure.  It isn’t complete yet, so Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is using the political hay that has fallen to pad her race to the presidency.  In case you can’t tell, I do not support Senator Clinton in her bid.

• Virginia’s Latest Transportation Plan:  Find some details, here.
• Truck Traffic around a Port: Details about the types and amounts of truck traffic at a busy port.
• Taxes for Bridges: As a consequence of the I-35W bridge collapse, an increase to the federal gas tax was proposed.  I think this is less for the direct purposes of allocating money to bridge improvements than for the purposes of political bludgeoning.  We’ll see where it all goes.
• Green Lights mean SMASH!: Scottish hoodlums are smashing green signal lights.
• Don’t put your Brain on Cruise Control . . . like this kid does. Pay attention to your driving.
• Seeing 2000 A.D. from 1966: Chairman of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority predicts the future of transportation, looking forward from 1966.