You Tell Us: How Would You Fix City Infrastructure?
There has been a few water main breaks during the first cold snap of the fall.
A massive 60-inch pipe broke on Charles Street near the 20th Street intersection causing massive flooding in the area and closing sections of one of the city’s major roads.
Another broke late last week briefly closing York Road eventually reopening, but it forced traffic heading both ways onto one side of the street.
The city has taken steps to address infrastructure that includes in some cases pipes that are more than 100 years old.
But how would you fix the situation? Tell us in the comments section.
Daniel Ewald
4:19 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
Problems like this could be solved by an infrastructure or "Green Building" bank that some politicos have talked about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Infrastructure_Reinvestment_Bank
Set up the bank with funds from the Federal Govt (like $1 billion), then cities can take out low interest loans to do public works.
Baltimore Matt
8:28 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
We can line the blemishes in the pipes with the product that Stephanie Rawlings-Blake uses on her face and hair (she has been looking a bit like a porcelain doll likely, hasn't she?) or we can patch all of the pipes with gambling money and grease from the hair of all of the mobsters that run the casinos...
Kathleen C. Ambrose
8:18 am on Friday, November 9, 2012
Oh Matt I totally agree with you. Your opinions are always so conducive to progress and add so much to the open discussion of real issues. I think you should run for mayor.
Sean Tully
10:28 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
The fact is that Baltimore City (or any local jurisdiction) can't solve the problem themselves. It costs too much money. I doubt even any one state can afford to get a handle on the problem by themselves. It would cost too much money. No, this is a job for the federal government. The GOP needs to stop all their nonsense, put away their play tea party china, and vote, along with Democrats, another (yes, another) massive stimulus bill, only this time directed at fixing our crumbling infrastructure.
Kathleen C. Ambrose
8:35 am on Friday, November 9, 2012
Because of the federal financial crises, many infrastructure projects have had to seek private funding. The GBC recently addressed this (http://www.gbc.org/news/2286/) and the Urban Land Institute (http://www.uli.org) keeps tabs on what is being funded and what needs are being addressed. I think it is popular consensus that the feds, as Sean suggests, need to dole out the dough to make an effective change in the City's infrastructure. It would bring a lot of jobs to the City also, as rebuilding and maintenance is labor-intensive. I believe our current federal and state governments are aware of this and are effecting legislation that will not only improve our infrastructure, but also our economy. Fingers crossed.
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Dunk
11:44 am on Friday, November 9, 2012
Why is this a federal issue? The state and local governments need to properly allocate resources and stop sucking on the federal teat.
Sean Tully
4:03 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012
It's a federal issue because some things are just too big for states and local government to handle. How do you think we got the great U. S. Interstate Highway system built? If it were up to states, we'd still be using Rt. 40 as the main road east to west.
Dunk
11:42 am on Friday, November 9, 2012
How about diverting some money used for the idiotic motor race? More federal stimulus? Geeze, that worked well last time....
Sean Tully
4:05 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012
Dunk, it did work well last time. Sorry, but the Tea Party history revision is over. The Stimulus package that President Obama signed into law did work.