This must have been a confusing call to 911 in early May. “We have made a very dangerous discovery. All people must be evacuated from the bridge as soon as possible.” Engineers found a large fracture on the sides of the famous arch bridge in Memphis, and they became so nervous that they immediately called 911 instead of their own headquarters.
The Arch Bridge is an example of how many roads in the United States are poorly maintained. The country lags far behind other Western countries in terms of infrastructure and is not in the top 10 (13th) according to the World Economic Forum. More than 230,000 Bridges It needs to be repaired.
If it is up to President Biden, it will soon change with his new infrastructure plan. Democrats and Republicans have been negotiating for a long time. The Senate will vote next week. If they vote in favor, this will be the first bill they will collectively approve.
Detour
Following a call from engineers, the Hernando de Soto Bridge near Memphis will be closed, creating a diversion through another long-distance bridge with about 60,000 vehicles a day. Truck drivers take thirty minutes to pick up their loads and are now on the road for six hours.
For Larry Clipton Hooke, this is not only extra time, but also costly. He is paid for a kilometer, not an hour. He said all of this could have been prevented if politicians in Washington had previously invested in infrastructure.
Check out his story here:
