Re-posted from Original Article HERE
Sadly, things are only going to get worse before they get better, as roads fill with potholes, bridges collapse, and electrical grids brown out with more regularly, all unable to provide for the needs of the populace. If you had any doubts about the sad state of the American infrastructure, read on to learn just how bad things really are.
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More than 25% of bridges in the United States need significant repairs or are handling more traffic than they were designed to carry.
This translates to a whopping 150,000 bridges that aren’t up to snuff. In recent years, bridge and overpass collapses have even led to death. One of the most notable of these was the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed in 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145. If bridges are not updated or repaired, these kinds of accidents could become more common.
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An inefficient, heavily overburdened electrical grid results in rolling blackouts and losses of $80 billion a year.
In a world that relies heavily on technology for everything from health care to business, losing power can be a big deal. In the past decade, huge blackouts have left much of the Northeast and Florida without power for several days. This costs money, time, and can create unsafe conditions for residents.
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Over 4,095 dams in America were deemed “unsafe” by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
This means that they have deficiencies that leave them more susceptible to failure, especially during flooding or earthquakes. The number of dams in the United States that could fail has grown 134% since 1999, and now comprises 3,346 dams nationwide. More than 1,300 of these dangerous dams are considered “high hazard” because their collapse could threaten the lives of those living nearby.
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More than a third of all dam failures or near-failures since 1874 have happened in just the last decade.
The rate of failures is increasing at a disturbingly fast rate, as America’s dams age and deteriorate. Can’t remember any recent dam failures? In 2004, 30 different dams in New Jersey’s Burlington County failed or were damaged after a period of particularly heavy rainfall.
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Nearly a third of all highway fatalities are related to substandard road conditions, obsolete road designs, or roadside hazards.
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that poor road conditions play a role in more than 14,300 traffic fatalities each year
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