“The work was completed in December 1903, at a cost of three
hundred and twenty five thousand dollars.” Pg 375-376 The History of Newburyport
This quote taken from my most recent read The History of
Newburyport refers to the old-fashioned cost towards the surrounding towns of
the bridge connecting Newburyport and Salisbury. This cash total goes to show
how the cost behind general necessities was greatly lower around a hundred
years ago than it is today. For example the new bridge connecting Groveland to Haverhill,
a little shorter than the one that passes over Newburyport harbor, cost 49.7
million dollars to construct. The cost to build the bridge was divided up
between companies, states, counties and towns; with the country paying the
largest chunk out of all at 250k. The old bridge was completely removed,
pillars and all. This was all part of a plan thought out by the Haverhill &
Amesbury Street Railroad Company. Constructed with a drawbridge, iron truss
system and fixed pillars this bridge was thought to be one of the more
technologically advanced bridges of its time. Although this same bridge does
not stand today, the original pillars and channels are still in action with
only a few minor repairs from over the years.
Going back to the original quotes purpose, I find it so hard
to understand how a project of similar nature could cost close to 150 times
more now than it did back then. Is it because of more skilled labor being put
into this workplace? Is it because of the cost of higher quality materials that
may not be in the same abundance of what they used to be? Going off my
knowledge I can’t formulate an honest response to that question as I have not
studied the economics behind construction. But what I do know is that the
engineering and materials used in order to complete this task are of much
higher quality than what they were back then. When a new bridge is built in
this present day, it is said that because of the advancements in technology the
new bridges last far far longer than the old ones, which really doesn’t surprise
me. They say things aren’t built to last anymore? Looks like that doesn’t apply
to bridge building! Bridges back then used to be in trouble if the ice got too
thick, now, troubles like that are no longer troubles. With fixed pillars
(pillars that are dug into the riverbed) the ice, current and wind don’t stand
a chance! It’s not the cost of the fixed pillar itself that boosts the modern
bridge build price tag up, but it’s what you need to build it. The surrounding
area on the riverbed has to be bare in order to dig accurately. The cost of
pumping all of that water out and the equipment to keep water from coming in in
the first place is what makes this a multimillion dollar endeavor.
John-Luc,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting topic and one I've pondered myself. I did not take economics in college, so I don't know exactly what causes inflation. I do understand that modern technology is more expensive based on what goes into creating the necessary supplies, but sometimes costs just seem so exorbitant as to be nearly impossible to imagine! Obviously, though, with something like a bridge, people are likely going to err on the side of safety. Anyway, it's been quite an eventful few years for the bridges around here all needing to be replaced at basically the same time!