We Need a National Holiday To Honor Donald Bailey!
By John Holtz

Where would Costa Rica be without the World War II “Bailey Bridge”? At a literal stand still, that´s where. Donald is “Sir” Donald Bailey who was knighted in 1946 for his bridge design. A temporary bridge that would support the allies during World War II and that it did. So all those Costa Rican Hummers and Mack Trucks should have a sense of safety if not permanency.



I wonder how many of these structures does Costa Rica have in stock?

It seems that with every collapse of a road or a bridge we call on Sir Donald Bailey to fix it.

No, not temporary as the manual says, but rather “sustainable” as Costa Rica says. As yet, there has not been a Bailey Bridge replaced with anything more permanent although some in Africa have lasted ten years now.

Can you imagine a Costa Rica without Donald Bailey? We need to make him an honorary citizen or even some kind of consultant or minster where the income is not much, but the graft is superb. But then again Sir Donald died in 1985.

In Costa Rica his spirit lives on as does his unique engineering. And, it helps the State of Alabama where the bridges are now manufactured since the end of World War II and the bridge kind of lost its luster to more sophisticated techniques; except in Costa Rica.

No question, the bridge is a civil engineering work of genius that has saved many lives during the 40s. But in Costa Rica as it was then, the bridge was only intended to offer frontline relief, a temporary solution to a sustainable problem. In Costa Rica, it is being abused and has become a singular solution from the Osa Peninsula to Guanacaste.

I wonder if we could drop one over to Isla Calero? Would that not scare the frijoles out of Ortega? After all, according to Wikipedia, “The components were shipped to training grounds in Cumbria, where men learned the difficult technique of assembling them in rivers at night, to simulate combat conditions.” Certainly the Trocha construction companies could do that much for all the money they stole, right?

“What the hell is that?”
A Bailey Bridge, Mr. President for Life.”
Shaking his head, “Will those damn gringos ever go home?”

The ensuing national panic which erupted over the General Cañas sinkhole leaves on the lips and minds of most people living in CR the question, “If this disarray and disruption of life rises from one lousy sinkhole can you imagine a major earthquake?”

Think of bridges collapsing, so many impassable roads, buildings dropping concrete and glass falling to the ground like a snowy day in a Vermont, water spewing from underground pipes which have never ever been maintained and hospitals whose floors either fold under pressure or like the rest of us will not have lights nor potable water. A life where only ICE can prevail!

If there was no Plan B for collecting taxes, I doubt very much if there is a Plan A or B covering catastrophic consequences of nature.

Hoe do we play catch up, or do we even wish to play catch up rather just roll the dice? After all, we have always been a country of supreme luck. Maybe we might ask our on-again-off-again friends in Nicaragua who suffered a horrific earthquake on December 23. 1972 killing more than 250,000 people. They used Bailey Bridges also mostly to carry the dead because the donated and goods where sold at the airport to those who could afford it. After all, it was a free market society.

Ticos and expats alike chuckle at the “huecos”, but they are symptomatic of something far more serious. The unexplained reason why Costa Rica has opted, for years and years, to patch; not repair roads, water, sewers and electricity. All those essential things of life which are guaranteed by law but have never, ever been put into effect.

Expats, please do not point fingers and complain. Costa Rica has always been like this only now the situation is prolific, more visual and more serious than ever before. “Fear not criminals in the street but rather the street itself.” (Shakespeare)

Hey! Not just for expats but for millions of Ticos as well.