Infrastructure Problems
Developed by Joe Naumann, UMSL
From pictures found on the internet.
What is infrastructure?
• the system of public works (also publicly
owned utilities) of a country, state, or
region ; also: the resources (as personnel,
buildings, or equipment) required for an
activity
• Examples: streets and highways, sewers,
water supply systems, electricity supply
system, natural (or other types) gas supply
system, communications systems.
Infrastructure & Development
• Developing countries suffer from a lack of
sufficient infrastructure to attract
investment and provide a basis for
economic growth.
• Countries that have been developed for
quite a while often suffer from the inability
to properly maintain and replace the aging
infrastructure they have.
THE FOCUS OF THIS PRESENTATION:
THE PROBLEM OF HAVING
AN AGING
INFRASTRUCTURE
New York, July 18, 2007
• An underground steam line ruptured,
blasting a hole in a Manhattan street and
releasing large quantities of asbestos into
the air along with the escaping steam.
• Companies like ConEd in New York need to
have a regular schedule of replacement of
parts of the system that weaken with age.
A New York city policeman wears a mask as he walks past the
scene of the steam pipe explosion on Wednesday.
Collapsed sewer line erodes a
sinkhole in Tucson, Arizona
• Old sewers
need to be
replaced
before
they
rupture or
collapse.
St. Louis, MO – 2007
• A 100-year-old large brick sewer line in
downtown St. Louis, collapsed causing a
very large hole in a downtown street.
Many old cities like St. Louis have old
masonry sewers or pipes made of wood –
these have limited serviceable life.
Sinkhole collapse in Nixa,
MO.
• This is a
danger
wherever
streets or
buildings
are built
on Karst
limestone
bedrock.
Very large sinkhole
• This large
sinkhole
destroyed
homes and
streets.
Broken water
or sewer lines
can create
collapses
much like this.
St. Louis – 3 times in less than
12 months – 500,000 w/o
electricity
• July 2007.
Failure to trim
trees enough in
the year before
the storms.
Ameren UE had
cut back on tree
trimming.
First winter storm, December
2006
• Many trees still hadn’t
been adequately
trimmed. AmerenUE
had not been able to
replace above ground
power lines with buried
onesi n older areas.
2nd winter storm, January, 2007
• A repeat of the
December
storm – there
had been no
opportunity to
improve the
infrastructure
in less than a
month.
Taum Sauk Reservoir
• Water (1.5 bil.
gal.) stored in
the upper
reservoir was
released in
peak usage
periods to
produce extra
hydroelectric
power.
December 14, 2005
• There was a breach in the upper reservoir
to the Taum Sauk Hydroelectric plant in
Southern Missouri early this morning. A
20 foot wall of water came rushing down
into the Black River like the water of a
gigantic bathtub being drained.
• Negligence in maintenance and repair
and refusal of management to heed
warnings seem to be responsible for the
catastrophe.
Before the breach
After the breach
Remains of home of Johnson
Shut-ins Park superintendent
20-ft. wall of water scoured
the land
Bridge Problems
• It is estimated that 1 in 8 bridges in the U.S.
is structurally deficient . . .
– It was not designed to carry the load of traffic
that it is currently carrying
• Example: the I-70 Bridge to St. Charles over
the Missouri River – the traffic load today far
exceeds what it was designed to carry.
– Every couple years more stress fractures are
found and have to be repaired.
Minneapolis – August 1, 2007
• Collapse Spotlights Weaknesses in
U.S. Infrastructure
– The I-35 bridge that lies crumpled in the
Mississippi River is the latest link to fail in a
national highway system rapidly deteriorating
under the strain of ever-increasing traffic
volume and inadequate upkeep, transportation
experts said on August 2.
2005 photo of the bridge
Diagram of the collapse
Word from Minneapolis
• More than 70,000 bridges across the country
are rated structurally deficient like the I-35W
bridge, and engineers estimate repairing them
all would take at least a generation and cost
more than $188 billion.
• Authorities said the "structurally deficient" tag
simply means some portions of the bridge
needed to be scheduled for repair or
replacement. It wasn't a candidate for
replacement until 2020.
• The collapsed bridge is one of 1,160 bridges in
that category, which amounts to 8 percent of
bridges in the state. Nationally, about 12
percent of bridges are labeled "structurally
deficient.“
• During the 1990s, inspections found fatigue
cracks and corrosion in the steel around the
bridge's joints. Those problems were repaired.
Starting in 1993, the bridge was inspected
annually instead of every other year.
• After a study raised concern about cracks, the
state was given two alternatives: Add steel
plates to reinforce critical parts or conduct a
thorough inspection . . . to see if there were
additional cracks. They chose the inspection
route, beginning that examination in May.
• "We thought we had done all we could," state
bridge engineer Dan Dorgan said near the
mangled remains of the span. "Obviously
something went terribly wrong."
• Although concern was raised about cracks,
some experts theorized it's no coincidence the
collapse happened when workers and heavy
equipment were on the bridge. The
construction work involved resurfacing and
maintenance on guardrails and lights, among
other repairs.
• "I would be stunned if this didn't have
something to do with the construction
project," said David Schulz, director of the
Infrastructure Technology Institute at
Northwestern University. "I think it's a
major factor."
The simple truth
• Responding to a disaster is inefficient and
counterproductive.
– It costs much more than a planned demolition
and clean up.
– It takes much longer to complete the
replacement
– It often means that the lives of many
productive citizens are lost
The reasonable approach
• As soon as a bridge, sewer, water line, etc.
is built, plans for maintenance and
replacement need to be established and
followed. In other words, avoid the disaster.
– Regular inspection and repairs
– Regular maintenance – anti-rust paint on
exposed iron work to reduce rust corrosion
– Reasonable “life” of the structure should be
estimated and plans for replacement developed
as that time period approaches its end.
Mississippi R. Bridges STL
Metro August 2007
Bridge
Deck
Superstructure
Substructure
Jefferson Barracks N
6
7
6
Jefferson Barracks S
6
7
6
Poplar Street
5
6
6
Eads
7
6
7
MLK Jr.
7
5
5
Chain of Rocks 270 MO.
6
6
7
Chain of Rocks 270 IL
7
6
4
Clark
6
7
5
Key: 0 = Failed; 1 = Imminent failure; 2 = Critical; 3 = Serious 4 = Poor;
5 = Fair; 6 = Satisfactory; 7 = Good; 8 = Very Good; 9 = Excellent
Missouri R. Bridges STL Metro
August 2007
Bridge
Deck
Superstructure
Substructure
Lewis
7
6
6
Discovery (I-370) east
7
6
7
Discovery (I-370) west
7
6
7
Blanchette (I-70) east
7
7
7
Blanchette (I-70) west
5
5
6
Page Avenue east
7
6
7
Page Avenue west
7
6
8
Daniel Boone east
7
7
7
Daniel Boone west
7
6
6
Key: 0 = Failed; 1 = Imminent failure; 2 = Critical; 3 = Serious 4 = Poor;
5 = Fair; 6 = Satisfactory; 7 = Good; 8 = Very Good; 9 = Excellent
How much could a national
infrastructure upgrade
cost?
• The American Society of Civil Engineers
puts the total price tag for improvements
to the nation's roads, bridges, dams, water
systems and airports at $1.6 trillion.
• Repairing deficient bridges alone would
cost $188 billion over 20 years.
Urban Infrastructure Problems
EXAMPLE OF ST. LOUIS
Shrinkage problems
• Population
– St. Louis at its peak (approx. 1955) – 800,000
plus
– St. Louis today (2007) – 300,000 plus
• Businesses & industries within the city
limits today
• Tax base
• Percentage of above average income
residents
What hasn’t shrunk?
• Number of miles of streets to maintain
• Number of miles of water mains to
maintain
• Number of miles of sewers to maintain
• Number of miles of telephone and electric
lines to maintain
• Percentage of residents with below
average incomes (this has even increased)
The Dilemma
• How does a city like St. Louis maintain its
infrastructure and continue to provide
adequate fire and police protection with its
greatly reduced tax base and increased
population of low-income residents.
• With a decreasing tax base, how does the city
provide a quality education for its large
percentage of low-income students and
maintain old buildings (some approaching 100
years old)?
The Lesson We Must Learn. .
.
• At all levels (local, state, and national) we
cannot continue to build new bridges and
highways, public buildings, etc. while
neglecting to provide proper maintenance
for those that were built 20 to 150 years
ago.
• Money saved by scrimping on maintenance
of older facilities, in the long run ends up
costing the tax payers more money!