RICHARD ROGOVIN, CHAIRMAN
US BRIDGE
PROPONENT TESTIMONY ON HOUSE BILL 53
SENATE TRANSPORTATION, COMMERCE AND LABOR COMMITTEE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015
CHAIRMAN MANNING, VICE CHAIRMAN PATTON, RANKING MEMBER
CAFARO
AND
MEMBERS
OF
THE
SENATE
TRANSPORTATION,
COMMERCE AND LABOR COMMITTEE, MY NAME IS RICHARD ROGOVIN
AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY TODAY.
I GREW UP IN THE BRIDGE BUSINESS STARTED BY MY FATHER IN 1937.
IT IS THE OHIO BRIDGE CORPORATION, NOW KNOWN AS US BRIDGE AND
I NOW CHAIR THAT COMPANY. BUT I AM NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR
BUSINESS. ALTHOUGH I STUDIED CIVIL ENGINEERING AT CORNELL 50
YEARS AGO, I AM NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT ENGINEERING.
I AM HERE AS A PROUD CITIZEN OF OHIO AND OF THIS COUNTRY TO
EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE
SAYS ABOUT US, AND WHAT WE CAN ALL DO ABOUT IT TODAY. HERE
AND NOW.
NOT DOWN THE ROAD.
NOT IN THE NEXT BUDGET OR
LEGISLATURE. IF WE DON’T HAVE THE WILL TO SEIZE THIS MOMENT
AND MAKE ONE SIMPLE IMPROVEMENT TO THIS BILL .THAT WILL
BENEFIT FUTURE GENERATIONS, WHY SHOULD THOSE WHO COME
AFTER US DO SO?
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ON MONDAY THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH WROTE AN EDITORIAL WHICH
WAS A CALL TO ARMS AND A DIRECT APPEAL TO THIS COMMITTEE AND
LEGISLATURE.
THIS WAS THE TITLE:
“ROADS, BRIDGES NEED
ATTENTION; U.S. COMPETITIVENESS REQUIRES SOLID SUPPORT FOR
INFRASTRUCTURE”.
THIS EDITORIAL QUOTED THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS,
WHICH WROTE THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UNITED STATES IS
“AT
RISK,
MOSTLY
BELOW
STANDARD,
WITH
MANY
ELEMENTS
APPROACHING THE END OF THEIR LIFE SERVICE”.
CHAIRMAN MANNING, VICE CHAIRMAN, PATTON, COMMITTEE MEMBERS,
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT US? THAT WE DON’T CARE ABOUT OUR
FUTURE? THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY?
IT IS TOO LATE TO ADDRESS THE SERVICE LIFE OF OUR EXISTING
BRIDGES IN OHIO. WE THINK IT’S NOT MUCH MORE THAN 50 YEARS. WE
HAVE 27,000 BRIDGES THAT HAVE AN AVERAGE AGE OF NEARLY 50
YEARS AND OVER 2400 THAT AVERAGE ABOUT 70 YEARS AND ARE
STRUCTURALLY DEFICIENT.
WE ARE HERE TODAY TO ADDRESS THE SERVICE LIFE OF OUR FUTURE
BRIDGES. IT’S TOO LATE FOR THE BRIDGES WE HAVE. AS WE SHALL
SEE, IT’S TOO LATE FOR EVEN THE BRIDGES WE ARE BULDING TODAY.
WHAT SHOULD THAT FUTURE SERVICE LIFE BE? 25 YEARS? 50 YEARS?
75 YEARS? A CENTURY?
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TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION I WANT TO TELL YOU, NOT THE TALE OF
TWO CITIES, BUT THE TALE OF TWO BRIDGES.
THE FIRST IS THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, OPENED TO TRAFFIC IN 1883 AND
STILL IN SERVICE. THIS IS BECAUSE IT WAS NOT DESIGNED FOR 25, 5O
OR 75 YEARS. IT WAS DESIGNED TO LAST AT LEAST A CENTURY AND IT
HAS.
IT WAS BUILT BEFORE THE AGE OF MOTORCARS AND NOW
CARRIES TRAFFIC THAT THE BULDERS COULD NEVER HAVE PREDICTED.
WHAT HEROES THOSE ENGINEERS WERE. BUT THEY WERE A PRODUCT
OF A DIFFERENT TIME, AND PERHAPS OF DIFFERENT VALUES.
THE SECOND IS THE INNERBELT BRIDGE IN CLEVELAND. THIS IS A SAD
STORY AND A SAD REFLECTION ON OUR STATE.
THIS BRIDGE WAS
OPENED TO TRAFFIC IN 1959. ITS TOTAL COST WAS $26 MILLION. ONLY
50 YEARS LATER, IN 2008 IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE BRIDGE WAS
DETERIORATING SO BADLY THAT THE STATE PLANNED TO SPEND $240
MILLION TO REHABILITATE IT IN ORDER TO EXTEND ITS SERVICE LIFE
ANOTHER 30 YEARS.
AFTER PURCHASING A NEW 3D IMAGING PROGRAM FOR $1 MILLION TO
EXAMINE THE BRIDGE, ODOT FOUND IT TO BE INCAPABLE OF CARRYING
HEAVY LOADS AND IN OCTOBER 2008 IT WAS CLOSED TO TRUCKS. THE
REHAB PLAN WAS SCRAPPED AND 10 MILLION DOLLARS WAS SPENT ON
TEMPORARY REPAIRS. NOW THIS BRIDGE IS BEING REPLACED BY THE
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GEORGE VOINOVICH BRIDGE AT A COST OF OVER 300 MILLION
DOLLARS.
THIS NEW BRIDGE IS TRULY A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN.
OVER CONCRETE PIERS.
DESIGNED FOR?
I LOVE IT.
STEEL ARCHES
BUT WHAT SERVICE LIFE IS IT
WHAT COATING WAS APPLIED TO THE STEEL
MEMBERS TO PREVENT CORROSION? WHAT KIND OF REBARS WERE
USED IN THE CONCRETE? CAN ANY OF US SAY WITH ANY DEGREE OF
CONFIDENCE HOW LONG IT WILL BE BEFORE THIS BRIDGE HAS TO BE
REPLACED? CAN ODOT TELL US?
THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS, DO WE REALLY CARE?
IF WE
DON’T CARE, SHAME ON US. WE WILL HAVE LOST THE VALUES THAT
PRODUCED THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE. BUT I DON’T’ THINK WE HAVE LOST
THOSE VALUES, I THINK WE DO CARE AND I BELIEVE THERE IS A SIMPLE
ANSWER TODAY THAT WE DIDN’T HAVE WHEN THE NEW VOINOVICH
BRIDGE WAS DESIGNED.
TODAY WE HAVE A DOCUMENT PRODUCED BY AASHTO, FEDERAL
HIGHWAYS AND THE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD, THE DESIGN
GUIDE FOR BRIDGES FOR SERVICE LIFE. IF IT HAD BEEN IN EXISTENCE
AND ODOT HAD ADOPTED THE 100 YEAR SERVICE LIFE STANDARD
BASED ON THIS DOCUMENT, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION OF HOW LONG THE NEW VOINOVICH BRIDGE WOULD BE IN
SERVICE.
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WE ARE ASKING YOU TO PROVIDE THIS STANDARD FOR ODOT. IF YOU
DON’T, OUR FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE NO BETTER THAN
WHAT WE HAVE. AND OHIO DESERVES BETTER.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT OHIO DESERVES BETTER THAN WHAT IT HAS, AND
ADOPT THIS STANDARD, YOU WILL NOT ONLY BENEFIT FUTURE
GENERATIONS, YOU WILL MAKE A STATEMENT ABOUT OHIO THAT WILL
RESONATE AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH EDITORIAL I QUOTED EARLIER CONCLUDED
THAT OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE “IS NOT A SMALL BUSINESS
OR LARGE BUSINESS ISSUE, NOT A DEMOCRATIC OR A REPUBLICAN
ISSUE, IT IS AN AMERICAN ISSUE.” AND I’M CONFDIENT THAT WE ALL
SHARE THIS VIEW.
THANK YOU. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.