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A Deadly Bridge Collapse in Italy Shines Light on California's Aging Bridgeshttps://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/A-Deadly-Bridge-Collapse-in-Italy-Shines-Light-on-Californias-Aging-Bridges-490980881.html“I want to emphasize that if a bridge is not safe we shut it down,” Laurie Berman, Director of California’s Department of Transportation (Caltrans), told the Investigative Unit in an interview earlier this year.
The California Department of Transportation oversees and maintains the state’s 25,657 bridges. Berman says concerns over aging infrastructure come down to funding and prioritizing maintenance.
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Congressman Jeff Denham, who represents California’s 10th District and serves on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says while Congress has taken notice the question remains ‘where’s the money?’.
“It's frustrating that we can't expedite them [bridges] or refurbish a lot of them rather than just rebuilding them,” Congressman Jeff Denham said in an interview. “These bridges, most of them, were having a life cycle of 50 years and they're now 100 years old. And so there are some that we just need to tear down and start anew. It's unacceptable for the state. It's unacceptable for the federal government. We not only need a big infrastructure package from a federal government perspective, but we also need the state to do a better job as well.”
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