美国首都纪念大桥需要维修

AS IT IS 2016-08-23 Memorial Bridge Needs Repairs in America's Capital 美国首都纪念大桥需要维修

A famous bridge over the Potomac River is badly in need of repair.

The Memorial Bridge connects Washington, D.C. with Arlington County in Virginia. It provides drivers, runners and walkers alike a crossing between the famous memorial to President Abraham Lincoln and Arlington National Cemetery¹.

Tens of thousands of people use the bridge every day. But only some of them know that the large stone structure and its steel supports are slowly breaking down.

The Memorial Bridge was built in 1932. It was designed to be a ceremonial entrance to Washington. But the bridge is in need of major repair work. Money for the project has been hard to find.

The U.S. Congress approved a $90 million grant for the repairs. But an estimated $250 million would be required to fully² fix the famous structure.

Close to 68,000 drivers use the Memorial Bridge daily. Many have noticed the bridge is falling apart.

"I see it every day," said Frank Lopez del Rincon, who spoke³ to VOA while riding his bicycle. "The cracks, people working on it…it clearly needs lots of work."

K. Seyoum, a taxi driver, also uses the bridge. He said he has experienced first-hand the difficulties of bridge repairs and lane closures, "especially during rush hour."

Temporary "quick fixes" have been made for several years. Recently, more permanent changes, such as closing the outer lanes and increasing weight limits, have drivers seeking other ways to get to and from D.C.

Emergency repair projects in 2010, 2012, and 2015 resulted in months of lane and sidewalk closures.

The U.S. National Park Service says those repairs were only temporary. Park service officials are responsible for the bridge and grounds around it.

Matthew Gilmore is a local historian and planning expert. He said the park service has been making quick, simple repairs for many years. He explained the federal agency never has a lot of money to spend.

But a major fix is needed. Without a complete repair project, the park service said the bridge will have to close to all traffic in five years. The main problem now is that the deck, or top surface, continues to break up.

Cyclist Del Rincon was surprised to hear that the park service continues to struggle to find money for the project. "I would think the government would cover that," he said.

Worsening infrastructure⁴

The situation at the Memorial Bridge is found in other parts of the U.S. The American Society of Civil Engineers this year rated one in nine American bridges as "structurally⁵ deficient⁶."

Progress in fixing the country’s roads and bridges is slow. Congress has been unwilling⁷ to approve the public money needed for such repairs in recent years.

The country needs to spend nearly two times its current budget of $12.8 billion a year just to make sure American bridges stay safe and secure. That spending estimate comes from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.

Words in This Story

cemetery – n. a place where dead people are buried

dismount – v. to get down from something such as a horse or bicycle

taxicab – n. a car that carries passengers to a place for an amount of money that is based on the distance traveled

lane – n. a part of road that is marked by painted lines and that is for a single line of vehicles

overhaul⁸ – v. to look at every part of something and repair or replace the parts that are broken

deck – n. a flat surface on a bridge

rush – adj. requiring speed or urgency

1 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 structurally   

在结构上

参考例句：

• The house roof was (structurally) unsound. 这屋顶（结构）不牢固。
• Pinhole on shot-hole damage is never structurally significant. 针孔和蛀洞所造成的危害对结构的影响不大。

6 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。