In this giant accident there is an American summary of 2024. This bridge, well built five decades ago for the ships of the time, and in good condition, was not adapted to the new maritime monsters which are one of the symbols of the globalized economy: 80% of what is in commerce is transported by sea. In 20 years, the volume of goods has doubled.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge was safe considering the ships of the time. It was no longer so for those of today. This is far from being the only aging or maladaptive infrastructure in the United States. And nothing has been done to adapt it to new ships, new realty.
The country is no longer new and it watches itself age, with the conviction that “it was better before”. Entering the era of major repairs is much less exciting than experiencing the era of new construction.