In Mississippi, closed bridges and crumbling infrastructure threaten lives and livelihoods
More than a dozen Mississippi residents said that emergency services, at times, struggled to find their way to those who called for help.
by Phil McCausland / Jul.27.2018 / 5:00 AM ET
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Mississippi, a relatively poor state, has never been known for its gleaming transportation network, but the situation today is worse than ever. Across the state, residents now have to circumvent nearly 500 closed bridges that have been declared unsafe, according to the Mississippi Office of State Aid Road Construction. Another 1,742 are posted with specific weight limits because of structural deficiencies. Combined, that accounts for more than 20 percent of the county and local bridges in the state.
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And this is a problem for the entire state, not just for the rural poor here in the Delta. It hamstrings Mississippi’s businesses and industries and puts residents in difficult predicaments. The state, county and local governments, however, all lack the funding to fix it.
Leaders have scrambled for solutions. One often-proposed remedy for the state is to raise the fuel tax. Never adjusted for inflation, the tax has not changed since 1987. In the ensuing 31 years, inflation increased more than 115 percent and the cost of construction grew at 10 times the rate of the state’s gas tax revenue, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
more:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mississippi-closed-bridges-crumbling-infrastructure-threaten-lives-livelihoods-n892571?cid=eml_nbn_20180728
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