Minnesota heightens ageing infrastructure concerns

The recent tragic collapse of a major highway bridge in Minneapolis demonstrates yet again that structural, and more generally, engineering failure remains a world-wide contemporary problem.

It emphasises also the critical state of dated infrastructure in many countries, with very significant human and business consequences.

We do need to consider the wider UK implications. A consequence of our ageing infrastructure, much, if not all of which has suffered from poor investment in both public and private sectors, is that we are going to have to pay far more attention to its on-going and future adequacy from a safety and economic perspective: engineers need to be at the political front line; educating, advising, making and influencing the key strategic decisions on funding and safety assurance measures. 

This is real risk management which we cannot allow to be adversely influenced by inappropriate management or political short-term thinking.

John Carpenter, secretary, The Standing Committee Structural Safety (SCOSS), 11 Upper Belgrave Street, London SW1X 8BH