Concerning the very, very concerning article about the “investigation” results released about the Fern Hollow bridge collapse (“Fern Hollow Bridge inspection troubling but did not suggest imminent danger, experts say”): Will we taxpayers ever get any true accountability from any of our “employees”?

This article, the accompanying photograph and especially the words spoken by the “experts” should scare each one of us. Outlandish, outrageous and totally incompetent does not even begin to describe the condition of PennDOT.

From the article: “The best possible condition for a bridge is a 9, Papakonstantinou said. Anything less than a 4, he continued, will immediately raise a red flag and require imminent intervention. ‘A 3 means you absolutely will get attention within two years,’ he said. ‘Lower than 3, things get ugly.’ ”

Is this man serious, in believing that we should pay him one more dollar for his job? Does this man actually believe that we are idiots?

He and others, trusting to luck — instead of photographic evidence? Perhaps that’s why the Fern Hollow Bridge inspection rated its condition a 4, instead of a 3, because every “expert” involved thought the bridge would last more than two years?

Total incompetence. That’s so much more dangerous than the condition of all Pennsylvania bridges, by far.

John Fleischman

Vandergrift

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