Another Minnesota bridge closed

A third Minnesota bridge out of commission for safety reasons.

The troubled Lowry Avenue Bridge was scheduled to closed permanently at 10 a.m. today, eliminating a river crossing in Minneapolis for at least three years, Hennepin County announced Thursday afternoon.

Engineers had been expecting to close the aging bridge sometime this summer, but “with the temperature swings and the pier movement and the bridge expanding, there’s too many moving parts,” Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein said Thursday. “Moving parts are fine for clocks but not for bridges.”

“The engineers [Thursday] morning showed me pictures of bolts that have been sheared off,” said Stenglein, who represents the area.

But hey, we’ve dropped from a “high” tax state, to a middlin’ tax state.  Alas, we no longer lead the nation in economic growth, employment, education, and our quality of life is slipping.  But mediocre is fine for our GOP masters as long as their pockets are being lined.

And this doesn’t count the bridges that NEED repair and replacement…