The road taken : the history and future of America's infrastructure / Henry Petroski.
Petroski, Henry, author.
2016
HE355.3.E3 P48 2016 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection

Items

Details

Title The road taken : the history and future of America's infrastructure / Henry Petroski.
Author Petroski, Henry, author.
ISBN 9781632863607 (hardcover)
163286360X (hardcover)
Published New York, NY, USA : Bloomsbury, 2016.
Language English
Description xi, 322 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Call Number HE355.3.E3 P48 2016
Dewey Decimal Classification 388.10973
Summary "Physical infrastructure in the United States is crumbling. The American Society of Civil Engineers has, in its latest report, given American roads and bridges a grade of D and C+, respectively, and has described roughly sixty-five thousand bridges in the United States as 'structurally deficient.' This crisis--and one need look no further than the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota to see that it is indeed a crisis--shows little sign of abating short of a massive change in attitude amongst politicians and the American public. In The Road Taken, acclaimed historian Henry Petroski explores our core infrastructure from historical and contemporary perspectives and explains how essential their maintenance is to America's economic health. Recounting the long history behind America's highway system, Petroski reveals the genesis of our interstate numbering system (even roads go east-west, odd go north-south), the inspiration behind the center line that has divided roads for decades, and the creation of such taken-for-granted objects as guardrails, stop signs, and traffic lights--all crucial parts of our national and local infrastructure. His history of the rebuilding of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge reveals the complex and challenging interplay between government and industry inherent in the conception, funding, design, and building of major infrastructure projects, while his forensic analysis of the street he lives on--its potholes, gutters, and curbs--will engage homeowners everywhere. A compelling work of history, The Road Taken is also an urgent clarion call aimed at American citizens, politicians, and anyone with a vested interest in our economic well-being. The road we take in the next decade toward rebuilding our aging infrastructure will in large part determine our future national prosperity"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-304) and index.
Record Appears in On-Campus Resources > Books
All Resources
The road taken : givens, choices, forks, sighs
The road not taken : words, reports, and grades
Roads : dirt, stone, wood, concrete, asphalt
Diverged : transcontinental journeys and interstate dreams
Yellow : center lines, stop signs, traffic lights
Could not travel : earthquakes, envy, and embarrassments
In the undergrowth : elevateds, subways, and engineers
Just as fair : location, location, location
and financing
Perhaps the better claim : iconic, signature, and stunning spans
Because it was : guardrails, medians, and Jersey barriers
Grassy and wanted wear : streets, lawns, speed bumps, potholes
The passing there : sidewalks, curbs, gutters, horses, pavements
Had worn them really : quality, shoddiness, and survivor bias
About the same : good enough bridges and bad enough tools
Lay in leaves : triage, budgets, and choices, again
Trodden black : corruption, graft, waste, fraud, abuse
For another day : trust funds, fuel taxes, and politics
How way leads on to way : economics, wrong turns, and political choices
Ever come back : pedestrians, preservationists, parks
Telling this with a sigh : public-private partnerships : plusses and minuses
Ages and ages hence : smart cars and pothole-free roads.

Browse Subjects

Show more subjects...

Statistics

from
to
Export