An oversized truck strikes the bridge and brings it down? Just like that?

How many hundreds of bridges do we have in our state that are this age or older?

Every bridge needs to be built to withstand accidents and trucks. Not to mention earthquakes, fires and of course politicians.

I wouldn't call not maintaining our infrastructure as 'going cheap'. I'd call it seriously ill-conceived, and irresponsible.

DOT, who should be fired? This seems to fall on you.

As the infrastructure tumbles, I hope dollars are returned to maintaining and rebuilding what we already depend upon.

No more expensive commuter trains to nowhere, no more studies that try to figure out new ways to get us out of our cars. Put that all aside, and pay attention to what is right in front of us: our roads, bridges and ferries are old, crumbling, and very, very unsafe.

Well, an update on the Skagit bridge: looks like it was caused by an oversized truck striking the bridge. But that calls into question the structural standards for bridges. (Granted, this bridge was constructed in the '50's.) Just shows this stuff is serious, and seriously expensive to construct and maintain. We can't go cheap, which seems to be the aim of many reckless and irresponsible elected officials.

I figure with a good brew pub, teaching math would be a snap. Just think about it, percentages, volumes, monetary values, etc. Botany would be included, hops and wheat. Chemistry, the list is endless. Overall the good citizens of King County would be better served if schools were moved into brew pubs. Nothing like alcohol to enhance the learning skills of American youth. I see the truth of it everyday I shave.

The entire state has a crumbling infrastructure of highways, bridges and ancient ferries.

It's time to fix all of these problems, without added tolls, before any further work on any form of mass transit continues.

Stop everything else. This is serious, and frankly embarassing.

We sent men to the moon, but we cannot maintain our infrastructure before running off to insanely expensive mass transit projects that already are proven not to be working well?

Tonight a bridge collapsed in Mt Vernon. I looked up the House budget to see if any work was listed for it. I read it was declared obsolete in 2000 and also in 2010. Nope, nothing listed. I now hope our legislators will put together a plan that addresses everything that is functionally obsolete, including the I5 bridge in Mt Vernon.

www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/TRAN/Documents/Proposed%20TRAN%20Package.pdf

Now that the I-5 bridge over the Skagit has collapsed, a bridge which wasn't even on the 2011 WSDOT list of deficient bridges, maybe there can be a serious call to action that our leaders will pay attention to.

Unless it was due to an earthquake, which as of this writing hasn't been reported, WSDOT has serious egg on its face with this collapse, as does the legislature which has been starving transportation while sitting on its hands. Time for leadership - that's why you're sent to Olympia, to take care of the public business. Get after it.

Oh my goodness, it's Pollyanna. Mona Lee, do you walk after dark in your neighborhood? I wouldn't recommend it.

The recession didn't cause the blight issues. Those were caused by Sound Transit and City of Seattle bad decisions.

A good brew pub ... put one at every transit station and maybe I'd change my mind about Sound Transit exhoribitant costs.

But it really does have to be really good.

Lack of parking and already-filthy looking transit centers are certainly a problem for developers who depend on making a profit.

Ya right "we're pretty happy with it". Sick up and fed is more like it.

The monorail is a tourist attraction, and stays. It doesn't get turned into a park for winos and druggies, and no, it doesn't get to be expanded either.

The viaduct should be completely rebuilt and the bore tunnel dig that exists should be turned into a low-line park. Whoever wants to go there, can.

Think of the massive savings.

http://katemartinformayor.com/2013/05/09/the-viaduct-park/

What crust! You are delusional. Seattle has about 670,000 residents, Bellevue 121,000. Marriage equality, legal pot, the same 2 D senators, new D governor, etc, etc. We do call the shots, for the whole state.

And yup, we're pretty happy with it, well not McGinn, that was certainly an error, which we will correct.

Wouldn't the viaduct provide a readymade canvas for a High Line-like repurposing of an old elevated structure? Particularly since the architect for the waterfront project is James Corner Field Operations, the firm responsible for the High Line itself.