unfounded fears
This is not something I want to read about. About five percent of interstate bridges-roughly 2770-are now deemed structurally deficient. This does not mean they are unsafe, but it does mean there is visible rust or wear. There are approximately 600,000 road bridges in this country surveyed biannually for the National Bridge Inventory, including all interstate bridges, of which there are about 54,500. Though relatively small in number, the interstate bridges account for 90 percent of daily bridge traffic.
The first time I had to go over a major bridge I was about 5 and visiting my mom in New York. I can't remember what bridge it was, but I remember it seemed very long and entirely over water. It was, if you will, probably my first anxiety attack. As our car crossed the bridge I had this irrational fear the bridge would collapse and we'd all go crashing into the water, trapped to die inside the car. To calm my fears my grandmother told me to hold my breath while crossing the bridge (how's that for child psychology) but even to this day, I feel a twinge of panic crossing a long bridge. I do not need to know that with the crumbling of the American infrastructure, the chances of me crashing to my death have increased.
The first time I had to go over a major bridge I was about 5 and visiting my mom in New York. I can't remember what bridge it was, but I remember it seemed very long and entirely over water. It was, if you will, probably my first anxiety attack. As our car crossed the bridge I had this irrational fear the bridge would collapse and we'd all go crashing into the water, trapped to die inside the car. To calm my fears my grandmother told me to hold my breath while crossing the bridge (how's that for child psychology) but even to this day, I feel a twinge of panic crossing a long bridge. I do not need to know that with the crumbling of the American infrastructure, the chances of me crashing to my death have increased.