Cover
TOOBIGTOFALL America’sFailingInfrastructure andtheWayForward Barry B. LePatner WITH SPECIAL COMMENTS BY HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR, CHAIRMAN, U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ONTRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOREWORD BY ROBERT PUENTES, SENIOR FELLOW, METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION “Too Big to Fall is too important not to be read by elected and government officials and anyone who cares about the health of our cities, states, and country. . . . The release of this book could not be more timely. . . . But at least government public works managers and citizens now have the source to educate elected officials and their bean counters in the penny-wisepound -foolish choice of cutting maintenance now, only to face bigger costs and higher risks in just a few years. . . . LePatner offers us a better choice.” — Sam Schwartz, Sam Schwartz Engineering “Barry LePatner has emerged as one of the nation’s leading advocates for infrastructure reform. Too Big to Fall provides a thought-provoking examination of America’s infrastructure dilemma. It is eye-opening and sobering. Hopefully this work will resonate with those in authority to heighten their sense of urgency to aggressively address this threat to our nation’s future.” — Gary La Point, Assistant Professor, Supply Chain Management, Syracuse University “This book needs to be read by all those concerned about our transportation infrastructure. . . . The time for optimizing long-term transportation funding has begun, providing beleaguered taxpayers with much-deserved relief and achieving better results, supported by innovative technologies and enhanced business methods.” — Peter J. Vanderzee, President and CEO, LifeSpan Technologies “Barry LePatner makes an airtight case in Too Big to Fall that our nation’s road infrastructure is becoming a liability, a drag on our productivity rather than an asset. His heavily researched book aptly warns us that if our nation’s infrastructure continues to fail, so too does America. . . . LePatner’s ultimate optimism and professional experiences lead us to a solution that we need to take to heart.” — Dan McNichol, bestselling author of The Big Dig, The Roads That Built America, and Asphalt in America; Columnist for Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure A comprehensive overview of the shocking state of our nation’s infrastructure and what must be done to fix it In August 2007, the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145 others. Investigations following the tragedy revealed that it was not an unavoidable accident, but one that could have been prevented— and one that threatens to be repeated at many thousands of bridges located across the nation. Already more than 50 percent of our bridges are past their intended lifespan. Using the I-35W Bridge as a starting point, LePatner chronicles the problems that led to that catastrophe— poor bridge design, shoddy maintenance, ignored expert recommendations for repair, and misallocated funding— and then explores the responses to the tragedy, including the NTSB document that failed to report the full story to our nation. From here LePatner evaluates what the I-35W Bridge collapse means for the country as a whole—outlining the possibility of a nationwide infrastructure breakdown. He exposes government failure on a national as well as state level, uncovering how our nation’s transportation system prioritizes funding for new projects over maintenance funding for aging infrastructure. He explains the imperatives for why we must maintain an effective infrastructure system, and how it plays a central role in supporting both our nation’s economic strength and our national security. Written both for those who can effect change and for those who must demand it, Too Big to Fall presents an eye-opening critique of a bureaucratic system that has allowed political best interests to trump those of the American people. Barry B. LePatner is the founder of the New York City–based law firm LePatner & Associates LLP. For three decades, he has been prominent as an advisor on business and legal issues affecting the real estate, design, and construction industries. Regarded as“a guru of construction reform in America,”he is one of the nation’s leading advisors to corporate and institutional clients, real estate owners, and design professionals and is a well-known thought leader within the construction industry. He is coauthor of Structural and Foundation Failures: A Casebook for Architects, Engineers & Lawyers (McGrawHill , 1982) and author of Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America’s Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry (University of Chicago Press, 2007). A media favorite, Mr. LePatner has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, the New York Times, Forbes.com, the Chicago Tribune...
OR
