P.S. Sriraj Interviewed By Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune interviewed P.S. Sriraj, director of the Urban Transportation Center and research associate professor at UIC, about the closure of northbound Lake Shore Drive over the Chicago River due to a support beam crack. Sriraj tells the Tribune that the incident is probably due to the bridge’s age and deferred maintenance, and that it serves as an example of the need for local and national infrastructure investment. “What needs to be taken into account is that Illinois has the third largest number of bridges, and a significant amount is structurally deficient, 16 percent,” Sriraj said. He also noted Illinois only has dedicated $2.6 billion to bridge improvement over six years, when the need is $10 billion. The national need is $2 trillion, he said. http://bit.ly/2GifYmE (subscription may be required)
Sriraj was also interviewed about the matter by CBS 2 (WBBM-TV) and the segment is scheduled to air tonight during the station’s 6 p.m. newscast.