Terrorist-proofing bridges

by Angie Felton (Subscribe to Angie Felton's posts) Sep 14th 2007 3:31PM

Categories: Fun & Activities, Places To Go, In The News, That's Entertainment

As my family and I walked across the Mackinaw Bridge on Memorial Day (the only day pedestrian traffic is allowed) it was hard to forget that 5 mile structure connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan has been found on the terrorists list of "Cool Things to Blow Up". And if you DID manage to put it out of your head for a moment, the National Guards positioned every 20 yards on the bridge and Coast Guard boats beneath quickly reminded you.

Homeland Security is developing coatings to cover the cables of "cable-stayed" bridges that would protect them from roadside bombs. The coating, referred to as "Superman's blue suit" by those working on it, involves many layers of sealing material around the cables, encasing that with gravel fill and more adding even more layers of sealant where the cable hooks into the roadway.

"These are attractive structures, terrorists are out there, they're blowing up bridges in Iraq, and we need to be preparing ourselves to make sure we protect our bridges and our people," says Homeland Security's Mary Ellen Hynes, a research chief in the department's Science and Technology Division.

Even though the Mackinaw Bridge won't benefit from Superman's blue suit as it is a suspension bridge as opposed to a cable-stay, it makes me feel better knowing the people in charge (and not just the housewives from Michigan scuttling their brood among 57,000 other people crossing a bridge on a lovely summer day) are thinking like a terrorist.

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LS 9-14-2007 @ 3:58PM

This is wonderful, however...

I've been listening to a radio show lately, and they've been discussing the possibility of attacks on our schools, similar to that in Bezlan, Russia (I hope I spelled that correctly). Remember that one? They took the entire school hostage, and at the end of the day, something like 170 children were killed, as well as many adults. (more info can be found here: http://www.glennbeck.com. read about "The Perfect Day")

I think it's up to US as citizens and stewards of our country to keep our eyes open and be aware of our surroundings. Just like we're aware when we walk through a parking garage to our car, we should be vigilant like that - always. If you see someone hanging around or photographing your child's school, engage that person, or report him/her. Get to know your local police force and ask them to take their breaks at the local school. Get active at your child's school and urge them to put security measures in place if they haven't already. It is said that terrorists are like sharks - they circle their prey for a while, watching it. Then they "bump" it, to see if it's paying attention. If they get no reaction, they'll eventually attack. If the prey DOES react, they'll go away and find other, more passive prey.

Do I sound alarmist? Absolutely. Am I serious? Deadly. Do I hope I'm wrong? I hope so, but I don't think so.

Bottom line: our "protectors" - the police, military, intlligence programs, and governing officials are taxed with a heavy burden. We can lighten their load a bit by keeping our eyes open.