Nothing like a tragedy to get Congress to open the spigot.
Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy Tuesday hailed Senate passage of an amendment to an appropriations bill providing an additional $1 billion for bridge repairs. The vote was 60-33 and in the wake of last month’s I-35 bridge collapse in Minnesota in which 13 people were killed, it’s surprising there were that many senators in opposition.
Said Kennedy:
The nation’s infrastructure is in desperate need of repair and renovation, and these funds are an important down payment to begin the process. Massachusetts has some of the oldest bridges in the nation, and I’m pleased that a substantial portion of these funds will go to make sure that they are in the best possible condition.
The commonwealth, Kennedy was proud to note, received the fourth highest allotment — $42.4 million.
He might have added that it’s not only the old bridges people here are worried about. Indeed, one wonders how much of that money, which still must be approved by the House and executive branch, will go to fix the flaws in the brand-new Big Dig bridges and tunnels.
