Last week President Obama called on the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead and pass a bipartisan transportation bill
that would repair our nation’s roads and bridges. Mr. Obama’s focus was jobs. As an accident attorney, I see the danger in having unsafe roads and bridges. Certainly, the nation does not want another bridge collapse like the one in Minnesota in 2007, when the 35W bridge in Minneapolis fell into the Mississippi River, killing 13 and injuring 145.
Below is an excerpt from President Obama’s weekly address:
So much of America needs to be rebuilt right now. We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network. And we’ve got thousands of unemployed construction workers who’ve been looking for a job ever since the housing market collapsed.
But once again, we’re waiting on Congress. You see, in a matter of days, funding will stop for all sorts of transportation projects. Construction sites will go idle. Workers will have to go home. And our economy will take a hit.
This Congress cannot let that happen. Not at a time when we should be doing everything in our power – Democrats and Republicans – to keep this recovery moving forward. The Senate did their part. They passed a bipartisan transportation bill. It had the support of 52 Democrats and 22 Republicans. Now it’s up to the House to follow suit; to put aside partisan posturing, end the gridlock, and do what’s right for the American people.
I would add to this that every family in America traveling on a federal highway should be able to do so knowing the roads are not crumbling and hazardous and that the bridges have been adequately inspected and reinforced where needed. Our nation’s roads should be repaired and improved to accommodate the growing population and the growing number of tractor-trailer trucks on the road hauling goods.
Attorney Eric Hageman represents traffic accident victims nationwide, including people injured in accidents with a tractor-trailer. His cases involve brain injuries, amputation, multiple fractures, other serious injuries, and wrongful death.
