[Hyack]

$1:

Engineering experts determined in February that corrosion of the metal cables supporting the Genoa highway bridge had reduced the bridge's strength by 20 per cent — a finding that came months before it collapsed last week, an Italian newsmagazine reported Monday.

Bridge cable damaged months ago but no action taken, Italian media report

[BartSimpson]

We're going to a see a lot more dramatic failures of infrastructure in every country that has diverted funds from infrastructure maintenance to social programs.

Social programs buy votes. No one votes for you because you prevent potholes.

[Thanos]

Just as likely that the infrastructure funds got stolen by the Mafia or disappeared a long time ago in one of Silvio Berlusconi's endless scams. He is the Italian Donald Trump after all, who never saw someone else's dollar that he didn't decide belonged to him instead. But, no, funding the public health care system in Italy is to blame instead.

[BRAH]

This is why building bridges is a science.

[Freakinoldguy]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

We're going to a see a lot more dramatic failures of infrastructure in every country that has diverted funds from infrastructure maintenance to social programs.

Social programs buy votes. No one votes for you because you prevent potholes.

I guess we'll see if that hold's true because here's a Michigan Democratic Party Candidate for Governor who's apparently tired of the potholes wrecking her car.

[BartSimpson]

Thanos Thanos:

Just as likely that the infrastructure funds got stolen by the Mafia or disappeared a long time ago in one of Silvio Berlusconi's endless scams. He is the Italian Donald Trump after all, who never saw someone else's dollar that he didn't decide belonged to him instead. But, no, funding the public health care system in Italy is to blame instead.

Public health care in Italy sucks, too. And for the same reasons. But pensions and welfare and housing subsidies buy shitloads of votes.

[Thanos]

Whoever let developers build homes under that bridge should be taken out and crucified. There's regular corruption and then there's the other kind that makes a catastrophe inevitable. There's no excuse for that, not hiding behind different Italian cultural & business "values", or lack of space to build more housing, or any other excuse they want to cook up. Whatever their reasoning is it's just BS by the usual types now playing cover-your-ass with each other.

[Sunnyways]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

We're going to a see a lot more dramatic failures of infrastructure in every country that has diverted funds from infrastructure maintenance to social programs.

Social programs buy votes. No one votes for you because you prevent potholes.

I guess we'll see if that hold's true because here's a Michigan Democratic Party Candidate for Governor who's apparently tired of the potholes wrecking her car.

Many, many years ago, I was amazed how bad the roads were in and around Detroit.

[CharlesAnthony]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDd-HP3FA4s

$1:

I recently noticed a string of interesting news stories, all with the same theme. Domino’s Pizza is donating money to 20 U.S. cities, to be used for fixing potholes and cracked roads. Salesforce has donated $1.5 million to reduce homelessness in San Francisco, and its CEO, Marc Benioff, has spoken of grander schemes to end homelessness in the city entirely. And Facebook is talking about renovating a defunct bridge that runs across the San Francisco Bay near its offices.

All of these initiatives, in and of themselves, are good things. It’s good for potholes to be fixed, homeless people to be housed, and traffic congestion to be relieved. But the fact that it’s private companies taking these steps is an ominous sign for the nation. It suggests a breakdown in the government’s ability or willingness to carry out one of its core functions — the efficient provision of public goods.

Domino's Pizza Fixing Potholes Is an Ominous Sign

[Martin15]

Genoa’s deadly bridge is DEMOLISHED: Remains of ageing viaduct that caused one of modern Italy's worst tragedies when it collapsed killing 43 people are blown up in six seconds of controlled explosions

The ageing viaduct in the northern Italian city of Genoa gave way in August last year, killing 43 people
Today it was demolished in series of controlled explosions lasting six seconds, 3,500 residents evacuated
A trial to determine culpability has not yet been scheduled however an investigation remains underway

[DrCaleb]

Some of those buildings looked awfully close to that bridge!

[Martin15]

What, you mean the residential buildings ?



I'm sure the people were evacuated before, and now hey get to live in a 9/11 type
construction zone for the next 3 - 5 years.

It'll be fine.

[Martin15]

This close enough for you ?

[DrCaleb]

Martin15 Martin15:

This close enough for you ?

That's what I'm talking 'bout. Quite a feat to demolish the bridge, and not the building.

[raydan]

I'm guessing that a few of those buildings were damaged in the original collapse and have been empty since them.