America’s Industrious Spirit Is Gone: It Could Take Longer to Rebuild the Baltimore Bridge Than It Took to Build the Entire Transcontinental Railroad

[Robert W]

There were a couple of projects in CA about 15 years ago, if my memory serves, that showed how far gov't will go to make things work. One was a section of I-5 through Sacramento that needed to be expedited. An offer was made with incentives to get the job done quickly. The job was done in no time and the incentives were paid. Normally, it would have stretched out while the contractor worked the "cost, plus" angle. The other project was the new Bay Bridge in SF/Oakland. That was completed in short order as well, but it turns out they used Chinese bolts (in violation of the contract), that failed miserably and had to be replaced. Even with that, the project was completed in short order. Incentives work.

I worked on that I-5 highway when I worked for a pile driving contractor. I also worked on the bypass (I-99) that connects I-5 to I-50.

We had environmental rules at that time but as the high speed rail project proves, the rules are much worse now than when I was working in heavy Construction. Even back then the rules were to put it mildly, draconian.

The new Bay Bridge jobs took from 1989 to 2013 to build. And it was not shut down but for a short time after the quake hit.

 

[Robert W]

Any worker doing the labor should be paid minimally $75 per hour probably more.

The cost to hire a worker is staggering. Just the wage for piledrivers local 34 in the SF Bay area pays workers $59.64 per hour and then more for benefits.

FRINGE BENEFITSEFFECTIVE: 7/1/2023Health & Welfare (H&W)........................................................................................ $12.49Pension (PEN).......................................................................................................... 11.25Annuity (ANN) .......................................................................................................... 4.83* Vacation (VAC) ....................................................................................................... 4.38* Work Fee (WF) ....................................................................................................... 2.40Apprentice/Journeyman Training (TR) ........................................................................... 1.24Vacation/Holiday/Sick Leave Admin. (VHSLA) .............................................................. 0.10Industry Promotion (IP) ................................................................................................ 0.04Pile Drivers Employers Contract Admin (PDECA) ............................................................ 0.10Carpenters International Training Fund (CITF) ................................................................ 0.13Contract Work Preservation (CWP) .............................................................................. 0.01Millwright Pile Driver Fund (MWPD) ............................................................................. 0.05

 

[Concerned American]

The cost to hire a worker is staggering. Just the wage for piledrivers local 34 in the SF Bay area pays workers $59.64 per hour and then more for benefits.

FRINGE BENEFITSEFFECTIVE: 7/1/2023Health & Welfare (H&W)........................................................................................ $12.49Pension (PEN).......................................................................................................... 11.25Annuity (ANN) .......................................................................................................... 4.83* Vacation (VAC) ....................................................................................................... 4.38* Work Fee (WF) ....................................................................................................... 2.40Apprentice/Journeyman Training (TR) ........................................................................... 1.24Vacation/Holiday/Sick Leave Admin. (VHSLA) .............................................................. 0.10Industry Promotion (IP) ................................................................................................ 0.04Pile Drivers Employers Contract Admin (PDECA) ............................................................ 0.10Carpenters International Training Fund (CITF) ................................................................ 0.13Contract Work Preservation (CWP) .............................................................................. 0.01Millwright Pile Driver Fund (MWPD) ............................................................................. 0.05

Ballpark rule of thumb for HR managers in CA in the early 2000s was an employee's wage would be doubled to take in to account all taxes, fees, and benefits.

 

[initforme]

Don't hire. Problem solved. Do the work yourself. Downsize.

 

[Concerned American]

Don't hire. Problem solved. Do the work yourself. Downsize.

Oakland is finding out that mindset is a failure. CA is not far behind. Biden/Newsomvilles will be the norm in CA in short order. Then you can cook your hot dogs on your hobo fire, you'll love it.

 

[airplanemechanic]

Water quality is vital. No reason it be toxic.

Oh really? Then what happened with Camp Lejeune?

 

[initforme]

Oh really? Then what happened with Camp Lejeune?

I think you're misreading. I think it's important to protect water. Camp Lejeune was a travesty. I sm hoping every family sues for millions upon millions.

 

[struth]

As I posted a week or so ago, unless Biden gets off his ass and waives the environmental BS, this will be a nightmare.

Let me remind people of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007 and how a completely new bridge opened with a year. Because environmental rules were waived by the Feds and Minnesota, and the contractors weer given basically carte blanche to do what was needed.

​

The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.​

​

The Baltimore Bridge was struck by a container ship navigating the Patapsco River out of the Port of Baltimore in late March, sending several cars and workers into the water and rendering the passageway unusable. It is unknown exactly how long the bridge could take to rebuild, as officials could expedite the process, but experts warned the DCNF that government red tape, such as environmental reviews filed by government entities or environmental activists, could slow down its construction after debris is cleared from the site and new plans for a replacement bridge are drawn up.​

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...​

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“Federal and state regulations, including in Maryland, give NIMBYs and environmentalists a lot of ways to block projects,” Young told the DCNF. “Hopefully the Key Bridge’s high visibility will help them restrain their worst anti-development impulses, but that is no guarantee.”​

​

Many large infrastructure projects are often bogged down by environmental reviews, such as California’s high-speed rail project, which has spent more than $600 million on environmental reviews since it was approved by voters more than 15 years ago.​

​

“My fear here is that people can generate environmental reviews that they flag concerns for, say the oyster population or if there’s a bird that breeds in the Patapsco River or water quality,” Cavanaugh told the DCNF. “All these things could easily be triggered through a federal review process and would drag on. Those reviews are not always efficient. The efficacy of those is to be determined by others, but they’re certainly not expedited.”​

​

The Biden administration has expanded the national environmental review framework, rolling back changes that the Trump administration made to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of projects before approval. If the federal government remains involved in the project, environmental reviews may bog down the process, as the average NEPA environmental impact statement between 2010 and 2018 took 4.5 years to complete, halting construction completely, according to the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality.​

​

...​

​

“I fear that the cost of regulations is going to be more impactful than people are giving it credit for,” Cavanaugh told the DCNF. “Depending on what design they go with, like what birds fly in the area or what fish are in the Patapsco River, the cost of studying that and mitigating the negative impacts would be a problem. The mitigation measures to make the bridge more resilient and safe are going to be an added cost. But that’s an added cost not captured by inflation for any bridge built today.”​

​

The Maryland Governor’s Office deferred the DCNF to statements made in previous press conferences. The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment.​

America's Industrious Spirit Is Gone: It Could Take Longer to Rebuild the Baltimore Bridge Than It Took to Build the Entire Transcontinental Railroad - 🔔 The Liberty Daily

If you love the news, check out The Liberty Daily's homepage. (DCNF)—The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told...

thelibertydaily.com

​

What happened to xiden’s great build back better bill??? Where are the funds?

 

[Concerned American]

What happened to xiden’s great build back better bill??? Where are the funds?

Ukraine.

 

[Invisibleflash]

As I posted a week or so ago, unless Biden gets off his ass and waives the environmental BS, this will be a nightmare.

Let me remind people of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007 and how a completely new bridge opened with a year. Because environmental rules were waived by the Feds and Minnesota, and the contractors weer given basically carte blanche to do what was needed.

​

The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.​

​

The Baltimore Bridge was struck by a container ship navigating the Patapsco River out of the Port of Baltimore in late March, sending several cars and workers into the water and rendering the passageway unusable. It is unknown exactly how long the bridge could take to rebuild, as officials could expedite the process, but experts warned the DCNF that government red tape, such as environmental reviews filed by government entities or environmental activists, could slow down its construction after debris is cleared from the site and new plans for a replacement bridge are drawn up.​

​

...​

​

“Federal and state regulations, including in Maryland, give NIMBYs and environmentalists a lot of ways to block projects,” Young told the DCNF. “Hopefully the Key Bridge’s high visibility will help them restrain their worst anti-development impulses, but that is no guarantee.”​

​

Many large infrastructure projects are often bogged down by environmental reviews, such as California’s high-speed rail project, which has spent more than $600 million on environmental reviews since it was approved by voters more than 15 years ago.​

​

“My fear here is that people can generate environmental reviews that they flag concerns for, say the oyster population or if there’s a bird that breeds in the Patapsco River or water quality,” Cavanaugh told the DCNF. “All these things could easily be triggered through a federal review process and would drag on. Those reviews are not always efficient. The efficacy of those is to be determined by others, but they’re certainly not expedited.”​

​

The Biden administration has expanded the national environmental review framework, rolling back changes that the Trump administration made to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of projects before approval. If the federal government remains involved in the project, environmental reviews may bog down the process, as the average NEPA environmental impact statement between 2010 and 2018 took 4.5 years to complete, halting construction completely, according to the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality.​

​

...​

​

“I fear that the cost of regulations is going to be more impactful than people are giving it credit for,” Cavanaugh told the DCNF. “Depending on what design they go with, like what birds fly in the area or what fish are in the Patapsco River, the cost of studying that and mitigating the negative impacts would be a problem. The mitigation measures to make the bridge more resilient and safe are going to be an added cost. But that’s an added cost not captured by inflation for any bridge built today.”​

​

The Maryland Governor’s Office deferred the DCNF to statements made in previous press conferences. The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment.​

America's Industrious Spirit Is Gone: It Could Take Longer to Rebuild the Baltimore Bridge Than It Took to Build the Entire Transcontinental Railroad - 🔔 The Liberty Daily

If you love the news, check out The Liberty Daily's homepage. (DCNF)—The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told...

thelibertydaily.com

​

Maybe we can hire China to build it.

 

[1srelluc]

I'm guessing that they will go gangbusters to clear the channel but slow to replace the bridge to placate the greenies.

The greenies won't have as much pull as the MD fishing industry. The toxic sediment that will have to be disturbed/removed could easily damage the fishery. There's some potentially nasty shit in the layers of sediment.

UMCES scientists on the ecological impact of the Key Bridge collapse and recovery

On March 27, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by a tanker. The 1.6-mile structure lies in the Patapsco River, closing the Port of Baltimore, one of the nation’s busiest ports. What is the environmental impact of this disaster? How will cleanup and rebuilding impact the...

www.umces.edu

 

[scruffy]

Water quality is vital. No reason it be toxic.

Building a bridge has what to do with water quality?

 

[Concerned American]

Building a bridge has what to do with water quality?

The process of building the new supports and barriers to mitigate a potential future event for a new bridge will definitely disturb the bed of that inlet--the water quality will definitely suffer and whatever fishing industry in that area will as well.

 

[Robert W]

Ballpark rule of thumb for HR managers in CA in the early 2000s was an employee's wage would be doubled to take in to account all taxes, fees, and benefits.

I cited the PileDrivers because the bridge in Baltimore will involve Piledrivers. I do not know the rule of thumbs but appreciate what you said.

 

[Robert W]

The process of building the new supports and barriers to mitigate a potential future event for a new bridge will definitely disturb the bed of that inlet--the water quality will definitely suffer and whatever fishing industry in that area will as well.

Clearly they can't simply put up a duplicate. They will spend time designing a better bridge and a lot of time complying with the Democrats rules. I don't know where Baltimore gets city water but tend to doubt it is from that harbor.

 

[Concerned American]

Clearly they can't simply put up a duplicate. They will spend time designing a better bridge and a lot of time complying with the Democrats rules. I don't know where Baltimore gets city water but tend to doubt it is from that harbor.

IDK about their water supply, but fishing is a big industry from what I understand and I think blue crabs are also in that area. I was addressing 1srelluc's relevant point.

 

[rampart]

As I posted a week or so ago, unless Biden gets off his ass and waives the environmental BS, this will be a nightmare.

Let me remind people of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007 and how a completely new bridge opened with a year. Because environmental rules were waived by the Feds and Minnesota, and the contractors weer given basically carte blanche to do what was needed.

​

The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.​

​

The Baltimore Bridge was struck by a container ship navigating the Patapsco River out of the Port of Baltimore in late March, sending several cars and workers into the water and rendering the passageway unusable. It is unknown exactly how long the bridge could take to rebuild, as officials could expedite the process, but experts warned the DCNF that government red tape, such as environmental reviews filed by government entities or environmental activists, could slow down its construction after debris is cleared from the site and new plans for a replacement bridge are drawn up.​

​

...​

​

“Federal and state regulations, including in Maryland, give NIMBYs and environmentalists a lot of ways to block projects,” Young told the DCNF. “Hopefully the Key Bridge’s high visibility will help them restrain their worst anti-development impulses, but that is no guarantee.”​

​

Many large infrastructure projects are often bogged down by environmental reviews, such as California’s high-speed rail project, which has spent more than $600 million on environmental reviews since it was approved by voters more than 15 years ago.​

​

“My fear here is that people can generate environmental reviews that they flag concerns for, say the oyster population or if there’s a bird that breeds in the Patapsco River or water quality,” Cavanaugh told the DCNF. “All these things could easily be triggered through a federal review process and would drag on. Those reviews are not always efficient. The efficacy of those is to be determined by others, but they’re certainly not expedited.”​

​

The Biden administration has expanded the national environmental review framework, rolling back changes that the Trump administration made to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of projects before approval. If the federal government remains involved in the project, environmental reviews may bog down the process, as the average NEPA environmental impact statement between 2010 and 2018 took 4.5 years to complete, halting construction completely, according to the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality.​

​

...​

​

“I fear that the cost of regulations is going to be more impactful than people are giving it credit for,” Cavanaugh told the DCNF. “Depending on what design they go with, like what birds fly in the area or what fish are in the Patapsco River, the cost of studying that and mitigating the negative impacts would be a problem. The mitigation measures to make the bridge more resilient and safe are going to be an added cost. But that’s an added cost not captured by inflation for any bridge built today.”​

​

The Maryland Governor’s Office deferred the DCNF to statements made in previous press conferences. The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment.​

America's Industrious Spirit Is Gone: It Could Take Longer to Rebuild the Baltimore Bridge Than It Took to Build the Entire Transcontinental Railroad - 🔔 The Liberty Daily

If you love the news, check out The Liberty Daily's homepage. (DCNF)—The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told...

thelibertydaily.com

​

Because environmental rules were waived by the Feds and Minnesota, and the contractors weer given basically carte blanche to do what was needed.

wrong, wrong headed, and the reason we need environmental regulations.

 

[scruffy]

Oakland is finding out that mindset is a failure. CA is not far behind. Biden/Newsomvilles will be the norm in CA in short order. Then you can cook your hot dogs on your hobo fire, you'll love it.

After the Northridge earthquake in CA in the 90's, ex-CA governor Pete Wilson waived the rules and had all the broken freeways fixed in less than a month.

 

[lennypartiv]

There should be some delay, because it should be rerouted.

 

[TheParser]

(1) Speaking of the transcontinental railroad, the last part was rapidly built over the mountains by talented men brought from China. They did a much better job than the Irish lads.

(2) Maybe we could ask China to send a few thousand workers here to built a new bridge.

(3) Or we could ask those thousands of Chinese youths who are crossing the border from Mexico.