Invest in Prevention

With the economy in an uproar, it can be difficult to focus on investing in long term maintenance and prevention of infrastructure failure. And yet, those investments are crucial to America’s infrastructure and our ability to recover from recession. Prevention and mitigation of corrosion in bridges, pipelines, power plants, liquid natural gas storage facilities and ports saves millions of dollars in future repairs, but even more importantly, prevents major disasters that disrupt commerce—something America cannot afford.

We only have to look back at the tragic loss of the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota last year to see the disruption caused by the collapse and 12 month repair. (Corroded gusset plates were part of the reason for the failure.) The Minnesota Commercial Railway was blocked, along with numerous auto and truck routes. The Federal Aviation Administration restricted pilots in the vicinity for a period. Thirty five people lost their jobs when Aggregate Industries, a company that delivered construction materials by barge, cut production in the area. Many businesses, large and small, near the collapse site reported losses of 25% to 50% of their income. Ultimately, the state increased the fuel tax by $0.055 per gallon to fund Mn/DOT maintenance. The new bridge cost $234 million. The cost in loss of life was immeasurable.

And, we can learn from an incident across the ocean: on June 3, 2008, a natural gas pipeline exploded in Western Australia. Reports say the explosion cut that nation’s fuel supply by a third and drained between $2.4 billion and $4.5 billion from Australia’s economy. The investigating body, Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority, reported that the rupture occurred because of thinning of the pipe wall and corrosion of the external surface.

Proven technology exists to prevent these disasters. In the United States, cathodic protection is required on energy-carrying pipelines. Other structures, such as bridges, tunnels, power plants, piers and ports can also be protected from corrosion by involving certified corrosion engineers in planning new structures and maintaining existing structures. The cost of including the right people and the right technology in America’s infrastructure is minimal in comparison to the cost of corrosion, which is $276 billion or 3.1% of the GDP.

We’ve learned that we can’t put blinders on and hope the worst won’t happen. It’s time to be realistic and invest in our future.

William R. Schutt
President and CEO
MATCOR, Inc.
Doylestown PA
www.matcor.com

Lights! Cameras! Corrosion!

Last Thursday was a long day for me. After Wednesday’s collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, I shuttled from one TV newsroom to the next. Reporters peppered me with questions about why the collapse happened, what can be done to prevent further infrastructure failures, and so on.

My PR firm has compiled clips of my appearances for me to share with you. I consider raising awareness about the risks of corrosion to our aging infrastructure as a public service that people in our industry are obligated to provide.

That said, I hope I don't make these appearances a habit -- because that would mean more disasters, and more lives lost to a problem that is preventable, given the right engineering.

Let's mandate speed limits for highway corrosion

Since the collapse of Minnesota’s I-35W bridge, I’ve read and heard a lot about privatizing our roads and highways. This should NOT be the issue. Privatization might solve a short-term budget crunch for some states, but there are no guarantees a private company will properly maintain or repair troubled structures.

What’s really needed to keep our roads safe is the same type of congressional legislation that privately-owned pipeline companies must adhere to. The Pipeline Safety Act requires pipeline owners to use cathodic protection as a corrosion control method.

The government requires the same technology for military steam lines and NASA structures. Why wouldn’t the government require a similar safeguard for our roads and bridges -- structures used by tens of millions of commuters every day?

It’s well known that our aging infrastructure is deteriorating at an ever-increasing pace. But instead of investing the estimated $30 billion annually it would take to replace infrastructure, let's be proactive.

We have the technology -- cathodic protection -- to stop corrosion before it starts. This can be used not only for all new structures, but to mitigate existing corrosion today. Better still, cathodic protection would cost the country far less than $30 billion a year, yet would deliver the same or better levels of protection as replacement.

Again, let's be proactive! If you have questions about cathodic protection and how it can mitigate corrosion and keep our families safe on the nation’s roads and highways, feel free to drop me a line. I’ll personally answer any and all questions.

Minneapolis bridge collapse raises questions

The collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River opened the nation’s eyes to the subject of our corroding infrastructure. While it started a knee-jerk reaction in states’ legislatures to immediately inspect America’s bridges, we who work in this industry know there is a better way.

We know the causes, and age is not an excuse. Climate is. As with many cities that endure harsh winters, the tons of deicing salt Minneapolis pours onto its roads every year could have been a factor in accelerating the bridge's corrosion.

I spent the better part of Friday shuffling from one media point to the next giving this explanation. Newsweek was one of those. Eve Conant interviewed me for the print edition. You can also listen to the audio version with Newsweek On Air host David Alpern.

While a definitive cause for the collapse has yet to be determined, my best guess is road salt. It’s the same environment that led to the corrosion of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building, on which we used cathodic protection to mitigate and repair the building.

Whether it’s in the air or used to keep roadways safe (oh, the irony), salt is corrosive. And if the proper steps aren’t taken to prevent decay on the front end, I’m afraid this won’t be the last bridge collapse to take our breath away, and dominate the news.

Corrosion is like a cancer in a seemingly healthy person’s body. It grows undetected until it's too late. Then you have a New York City steam pipe explosion, or a major artery collapsing into a river.

Precautionary steps can and must be taken NOW to ensure our roads, buildings, and underground infrastructures are safe. Moreover, these measures should be part of ONGOING, PROACTIVE steps that are aimed at preventing such disasters from ever happening again.

Looking for causes and scurrying around inspecting our infrastructure AFTER there's a disaster is simply the wrong way to go about this.