The closing of Crown Point Bridge, which crosses Lake Champlain, has dramatically upset the routines of Vermont and New York residents.
(Toby Talbot/ Associated Press)
THE ARTICLE “A bridge to nowhere’’ (Page A1, Nov. 1) demonstrates in a graphic manner the pain and suffering of citizens, as well as the impact on local economies of both New York and Vermont, when a critical transportation link is no longer available because of severe deterioration and safety issues.
The stimulus package has helped, in part, to save jobs in education. What the nation needs now is education that teaches both how to intelligently rebuild our infrastructure and how to optimize the available construction funds.
Before it is too late, decision makers need to identify how to best maintain the critical and way-too-fragile networks upon which our society and economy depend.
We have the tools but, sadly, we lack the leadership.
Anna Nagurney
Amherst
The writer is professor of operations management at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and co-author of “Fragile Networks.’’ 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
