Will it have a choo choo train on it?
Joe Biden: Government Will Pay ‘Entire Cost’ of Rebuilding Baltimore Bridge
President Joe Biden said the government would pay the “entire cost” of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, after a cargo ship hit the bridge and caused it to collapse early Tuesday morning.
“It’s my intention that we will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge. I expect the Congress to support my effort,” Biden said in a White House press conference. “It’s gonna take some time. And the people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with that every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt. We’re not leaving until this job is done.”
Asked if the company behind the ship should be held responsible and pay for the repairs, Biden responded, “We’re going to pay to get the bridge rebuilt and open.”
He did not say how much it would cost.
He said he spoke with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and “told him, ‘We’re going to spend all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency. I mean all the federal resources, and we’re going to rebuild that port together.’”
Um, it’s laudable, but, why should the taxpayers foot the bill, when it should be the responsibility of the shipping company, which doesn’t exactly have a stellar safety record, and their insurance company? It should be something like “hey, we’ll front the money now so we can get the destroyed bridge out of the way then get construction going to replace it, but, they will ultimately pay.”
As far as rebuilding the port, well, nothing’s wrong with the port. It’s the bridge that’s the issue. Is this just Brandon in lala land, not really understanding what’s actually going on? But, in fairness, the port is going to wither away unless they can get the destroyed portion of the bridge out of the water and out of the way ASAP.
“It’s also the top port in America for both imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks. Around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year, and we’re going to get it up and running again as soon as possible,” Biden said. “Fifteen thousand jobs depend on that port, and we’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers.”
Yeah, they do. It’s mostly highline vehicles coming through, but, there are some regular lines that are built in Mexico and shipped to many east coast ports, including Baltimore. And most ports are not set up to move them through.
Meanhile
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before it collided with Baltimore bridge, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent “routine engine maintenance” in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, as divers recovered the bodies of two of six workers who plunged into the water when it collapsed. The others were presumed dead, and officials said search efforts had been exhausted. (big snip)
U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said authorities had been informed that the ship was going to undergo the maintenance.
“As far as the engine goes, we were not informed of any problems with the vessel,” he said. “We were informed that they were going to conduct routine engine maintenance on it while it was in port. And that’s the only thing we were informed about the vessel in that regard.”
The National Transportation Safety Board now has the “black box” of the ship, we’ll have to wait to find out what it says.
“The project was financed by a $220 million bond issue (equivalent to $1.9 billion in 2022)”, This was for the entire bridge. I would submit that the cost will be even more than that just to replace the collapsed section and will take 2x longer to build because the Feds want to be involved.
New structural requirements for bridges specify a buffer “island” or “fender” protecting the piers against these types of accidents.
With the Feds involved, they’re going to want to change the name from a Dead White Male to a womyn of color. 🙂
Possibly. Harriet Tubman was from Maryland. She was an abolitionist, political activist, and war veteran who went on thirteen missions to rescue seventy people who were enslaved. She was also a patriot, serving as a scout, nurse, and spy for the Union Army!
On the other hand, Francis Scott Key, besides having a sissy name, was a rich kid, a poet, and became a lawyer and a slave-owner. He was a founding member and active leader of the American Colonization Society, whose primary mission was to deport free black Americans to Africa. Key was an anti-abolitionist and was anti-free speech. He even secured a grand-jury indictment against a newspaper for stating “There is neither mercy nor justice for colored people in this district”. Surely slander in the 1830s!
His poem, “Defence of Fort M’Henry”, from the War of 1812, was put to the tune of the popular British “To Anacreon in Heaven” and the resulting song became the “Star Spangled Banner” which was made the United States National Anthem in 1931.
But Harriet Tubman, patriotic American hero, already has dozens if not hundreds of memorials, parks ahd statues, so why not let Key has his bridge.
Conservative hero John Wilkes Booth was a Marylander and needs a memorial!!
MLTFR.
More libturd twaddle from Rimjob.
When the Democrats build it the new George Floyd memorial bridge will be the finest span across the river. They will spare no expense and it will be built by 1000 negritos just to prove how great their technical prowess is. As a negrito myself I will abstain from crossing the bridge out of self preservation. Long live DEI.
But wasn’t the now collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge designed and built by honkitos?? In fact, most of our aging infrastructure was designed and built by the peckerwood class!!
MRLTBR.
More racist libturd twaddle by Rimjob.
Another trenchant, life changing comment from Teach’sLilFluffer.
He/she has found a new word – ‘twaddle’ – having abandoned ‘pedantic’.
Alas, more pedantic twaddle from the Rimjob.
Now that’s the kind of response that we expect from the racist Elwood. You’re a classist dickhead, very unsavory character. In fact you’re the kind of person i wouldn’t let my daughter date.
Hi CarolAnn,
There you are!! You disappeared after I asked you for citations to support your wild claims about when most abortions occur.
Here are the actual facts: Over 90% of US abortions occur before the 13th week of gestation. About 99% occur by the 20th week of gestation.
BTW, soon enough your daughter will not listen to you about whom she dates. Maybe she wants to date girls!
Anyway, I’ve been married to the same woman for over 50 years. My dating days have been over for awhile.
What racist about pointing out that our collapsing infrastructure was built by white guys? Conservatards constantly claim that white Christian men built America.
They did. Or do you libtards believe somebody else did? If so who? If you know of anybody other than white Christian men who built this country please feel free to enumerate the founding fathers of color.
The point, CarolAnn, is that if you believe that white Christian men built America, you must accept the results, warts and all.
CarolAnn,
I wish to politely remind you of the kind of person you used to be and ask you to return to being that person instead of the person evidenced by the post above. I wouldn’t bother mentioning this to the others since they seem content to be on the path they are on, but I know you can be better than this.
I don’t know how those 3 sentences offended you but they weren’t meant to. They were directed at Elwood. Who I find a very unsavory character. Sometimes I do go off the reservation and I’m sorry. It’s just that I frequently try and have a calm discussion with Elwood especially only for him to smack me in the face or call me names or just generally try and embarrass and demean me. Quite frankly I take offense. But it is what it is. I will try in the future to calm it down. Thank you for pointing it out you have a great Easter professor.
You really don’t know when somebody’s joking do you?
You’re not implying that MAGAts/MAPAts have senses of humor, are you? The conservative sense of humor is about a 6th grade level. “Man hit in nuts with football.” or “Grandpa pulled down steps by dog.”
Jerry Clower, Jeff Foxworthy and Ron White were funny mocking conservatives.
Well, I was sort of toungue-in-cheek joking, buy it turns out people are already calling for the bridge to be renamed.
Not just renamed. Rebuilt with all the environmental impact statements that are now required plus the impact statement of increased carbon from road use. The government permits alone will take years before new construction can begin, if it is allowed to take place at all. Various people have wanted a new bridge over the Rappahannock river for decades but conservation of fish habitats have stopped it cold.
Where did biden get another 6 million for “emergency spending”? He isn’t supposed to have a slush fund and congress didn’t authorize it. More leftover COVID money from the Trump administration? There is a lot of that still floating around out there getting spent instead of returned to the treasury as the law requires.
They should name it the Joe R Biden memorial bridge. Biden seems to already be dead so that isn’t an issue. Biden was famous for using the old bridge several times every day, and he worked on building the old bridge when he was working his way through college on an academic and bridge building scholarship. And according to the “Build back better” slogan, it will never be more than a sign that says “future site of JRB Bridge”.
Isn’t “build back better” just how a third grader would say Make America Great Again?