Bridge collapse a tragedy that might have been avoided

For years experts have been warning of the dire condition of America's antiquated infrastructure. Now, CNN is reporting that seven people were killed when an interstate bridge in Minneapolis collapsed Wednesday evening, plunging cars and chunks of concrete into the Mississippi River below. There were "lots" of injuries, according to the the state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department. The nearby University of Minnesota Medical Center received "just a handful" of injuries from the accident, spokesman Ryan Davenport said. One of our hospitals has five patients so far, and the other on the other side of the river has none," he said. The accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET). There were 50 to 100 cars on the bridge at the time, according to early estimates. Witnesses described a "dust cloud" as the bridge collapsed. Lt. Amelia Huffman of the Minneapolis Police Department told CNN affiliate KARE it was "not clear at this point what caused the collapse" of the Interstate 35W bridge near University Avenue. I once editorialized in the pages of Pit & Quarry that it would be a sad day when it took a bridge collapse and needless deaths to make our legislators aware of the need for investment in our roads and bridges. Unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened. Your comment?