Tunnel vs Bridge

[Gavin]

I know this will annoy some Scanalysts who are living in the past, when the US could build giant civil engineering works like the Hoover Dam and the Empire State Building. But that was before we were all born. So let’s look at the world we live in today.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was damaged in an accident and collapsed in March 2024. Since then, there has been lots of paperwork, and presumably lots of attorney billable hours, but no bridge. The current plan is to build a new bridge by 2030 – 6 years, assuming that schedule is more achievable than the one for California’s High Speed Rail project.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, a record-breaking 50 foot diameter tunnel has been drilled for 9 miles through solid rock under one of the world’s largest rivers … in only 2 years. I, for one, regret that the US which used to lead the world in physical accomplishments now leads the world only in the volume of regulations.

World’s largest-diameter high-speed-rail shield tunneling machine ‘Linghang’ reaches Taicang - Global Times

[civilwestman]

@Gavin

I, for one, regret that the US which used to lead the world in physical accomplishments now leads the world only in the volume of regulations.

I recall some old Soviet propaganda (likely accurate in this particular case). It showed a photo or drawing (I don’t recall which) of a railroad train consisting of 20 or so open top bathtub gondola (coal) cars, but filled with stacks of paper. The caption described paper as by far the greatest output of Washington DC. I guess now it is electrons and ‘holes’ in silicon, but far greater in magnitude and deleterious effect. Sadly, your observation is emblematic of all bureaucratic/technocratic Western Civilization. What a shameful waste of potential. I guess that’s an unavoidable consequence of a hyper-regulatory state where political considerations trump merit and actual production. Similarly, finance has swallowed economics. Collapse of both systems are pending.