2. Factual
•
•
•
•
1st paragraph- Date of the accident
1st paragraph- Number of casualties
1st paragraph- Inspection record
1st paragraph- Safety rating of bridge
3. Conceptual
• 2nd paragraph- “The fact that a bridge is
‘deficient’ does not imply that it is likely to
collapse or that it is unsafe”
• 3rd paragraph- “Although the case of the I-35W
collapse is still under investigation, the incident
raises important questions about the state of U.S.
bridges.” This statement introduces the concept
of what is safe for bridges.
• 3rd paragraph- The concept of functionally
obsolete bridges and structurally deficient
bridges
4. Moral
• 4th paragraph – “In order for Americas to answer
this charge, they must be aware of the problem.”
• 4th paragraph- “What role should engineers and
engineering societies play in informing the public
about the state of U.S. bridges?”
• 4th paragraph- “Should engineers lobby for
congressional support and appropriate amounts
of federal spending to be allocated to bridge
repairs and resurrection?”
5. Application
• The whole excerpt introduces the concept of
safety, but applied to U.S. bridges.
• 3rd paragraph- Applying the concept of being
“functionally obsolete” or “structurally
deficient” to U.S. bridges.
