So, a year ago yesterday, the Francis Scott Key Bridge decided to do its best impression of a Hollywood breakup—totally dramatic and completely over the top! This bridge, folks, literally fell apart because the Maryland Transportation Authority treated bridge inspections like I treat my gym membership—knowing it exists but never actually using it!
Fast forward to now, and the National Transportation Safety Board is like your nagging mom, suddenly all worried, telling us that not just one, but 68 bridges are playing roulette with gravity. I mean, come on, if bridges had a dating profile, theirs would say, “Looking for a strong support system because I’ve been neglected for decades!”
And here’s a fun fact—36 percent of U.S. bridges need a facelift. That’s over 222,000 opportunities for you to take a swim when you were just trying to drive over to pick up a pizza. These bridges, if you laid them end-to-end, would stretch over 6,100 miles. That’s a lot of diving boards, people!
Now, get this: if Maryland had just done one little inspection, they might have realized, “Hey, maybe having ships play bumper cars with our bridge isn’t such a great idea.” We could’ve had a few less dramatic splashes and a few more boring, safe drives. Imagine that—taking action before things go south. What a novel concept! It’s like finding out your husband’s been cheating and actually doing something about it before the divorce papers hit!
So, as we remember this not-so-fine moment in infrastructure history, let’s not just pour one out for the lost bridge. Let’s raise our glasses to the hope that maybe, just maybe, someone will get the memo and start treating these bridges like something worth maintaining. Because folks, without them, we’re all just one step away from an unexpected bath in the bay!
