A Bridge Way Too Far

State representatives unveil sign renaming bridge

While the gesture was well meant, the renaming of a bridge in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania for area war veterans is hilariously if unintentionally appropriate.

In Memorial Day weekend ceremonies, the Interboro Bridge linking Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg was renamed the Veterans Bridge by beaming pols blithely oblivious to the irony.

The bridge is an apt metaphor for the dysfunctional system that is supposed to take care of America’s most grievously wounded vets.

The bridge carries far more traffic than it was built for and has been in a state of woeful neglect for years with axle-bending potholes, some so large that the reinforcing steel that is (hopefully) keeping the concrete structure from falling down is visible.

An obvious question is which will be fixed first: The veterans health-care system or the bridge? My advice would be to not hold your breath for either.

Photograph by Mark A. Genito/Pocono Record