Consider, if you will, how many similar bridges there are in the Lakes region alone. Consider how many are just as old, and have similar service histories. They are probably being properly maintained, and will likely not collapse without warning as this one did.
If this tragedy creates a little more vigilance, fine... but there's no need to panic or assume suddenly that every old bridge in America is about to let go.
Remember that the purpose of the "news" business is to create anxiety or to titillate... not to inform the public about the real condition of America's bridges. The don't care what you learn, they just want you to worry and turn to them for more info. Or to watch things fall down over and over and over again, until all you can think about without your head aching is a new car or a hamburger.
It's mostly about selling newspapers or commercial TV time, not teaching you about bridges or really investigating anything. If Michael Jackson does something zany tomorrow, it will be as if this bridge never collapsed, as far as the media is concerned.I think this span fell because of some omission or oversight related to the repairs... I'm not an engineer, not saying I have any clue what it was specifically, but I can almost taste it- somebody screwed up.
My impression of American bridges (although standards vary from state to state to some extent) is that they are conservatively maintained; I wouldn't say standards here are lax compared to, say, typical European standards.
