Cheaper than fixing "structurally deficient" bridges....

[Eric J in MN]

...just call them something else. (New words to be determined):

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_re_us/preserving_bridges

The Minneapolis interstate bridge had been classified as "structurally deficient," as have more than 73,000 others nationwide. The term means a significant load-carrying element is in poor condition because of deterioration or damage.

It doesn't mean the bridge is about to fall down, although it may sound dire to people unfamiliar with the ratings, (Rick) Capka said. The terms date to 1978, when Congress updated guidelines for replacing and rehabilitating bridges. The categories help determine how federal money is given to states.

Capka said the people coining the terms wanted to give specific meaning to the terms. He likened "structurally deficient" to a bridge that was showing wear, or a shoe with a damaged heel but is still wearable.

Other terms include "functionally obsolete" for bridges that don't meet current design standards because of changing traffic demands. Capka likened these bridges to shoes that are out of style.
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Falling bridges are just like shoes!, says a Bush appointee.

[Cerridwen]

1. Maybe he meant falling arches.

If you wear the wrong shoes you get falling arches.

Fallen arches?

Whatever. My mind went south trying to make sense of bushbot speak.

[Eric J in MN]

3. It will be so nice when there isn't a Republican administration...

...in Washington.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Anyone can build a bridge that can support a given load.

It takes a structural engineer to build a bridge that can just barely support a load.

That means that a bridge, designed by a structural engineer, that is "structurally deficient" is in fact a bridge that is about to fall down.