This week, a tanker fire on a ramp connecting two major highways ended up destroying a section of the freeway interchange, putting an additional snarl into the traffic of what's known to Oakland, California residents as the 'MacArthur Maze.' Reconstruction is estimated to take weeks or months, at a cost of millions of dollars. In this hour, Ira and guests talk about the fragile state of our nation's infrastructure, and whether it can be repaired. The American Society of Civil Engineers says that the nation's infrastructure, including highways, bridges, and levees, is in sorry shape -- and it's going to cost 1.6 trillion dollars to fix it.

We'll also take a look at the national electric grid and how it came to be. Is it time for an overhaul?

Plus, across the country, state and local governments are selling their highways and bridges to private companies. The deals raise lots of cash. But are they good for taxpayers and consumers? We'll find out more about it this hour.
Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Phillip F. Schewe
Author, "The Grid: A Journey Through the Heart of Our Electrified World," (John Henry Press, 2007)
Science Writer, American Institute of Physics
Washington, DC

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Frieder Seible
Dean of the Jacobs School
Professor, Structural Engineering
University of California San Diego
San Diego, California

Lawrence Roth
Executive Deputy Director
American Society of Civil Engineers
Reston, Virginia

Emily Thornton
Associate Editor
BusinessWeek Magazine
New York, New York

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The Grid: A Journey Through the Heart of Our Electrified World," by Philip Schewe. John Henry Press, 2007.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Annette Heist