New Steel Requirements Will Raise Hoan Bridge Replacement Costs To The Stratosphere

I am hearing that government requirements for stronger steel following the collapse of a section of the Hoan Bridge a few years ago will push the costs for replacing the entire structure to financially unsustainable levels.

In other words, it's not affordable - - and the reality has been known in and around the construction industry even before a bad economy and the federal bailouts' borrowings make it likely that the states will not get all the federal transportation money they need.

An Obama administration might push more transportation spending for the jobs it creates, but more likely towards greater transit and certainly, hopefully not for a boondoggle when there are reasonable and more cost-efficient road-and-bridge alternatives available.

So officials on Milwaukee's southern flank who are out there cheerleading for a brand-new Hoan replacement better take a good look at the regs and the costs before they get tangled up in arguments that are absurd.