Minneapolis commuters going to work on the morning of July 31 of this year didn’t think twice as they headed across the Interstate 35 Bridge.

Sadly, we often look the other way to boring, infrastructure issues until it’s too late.

How many more such issues are out there? Apparently, quite a few.

A quick online search of “Natchez” in the National Bridge Inventory database yields some surprising facts.

Not counting the Liberty Road interchange with U.S. 61, which have been recently rebuilt, but are not accurately reflected in the national database yet, Natchez has nine bridges relating to major highways, U.S. 61 and U.S. 84.

Of those nine bridges over major arteries, six are listed as “functionally obsolete.”

Don’t panic. That’s just a scary engineering term.

The “functionally obsolete” ratings don’t necessarily indicate the bridges are about to fall in. But it does mean the bridges are not up to the current standards.

However, that’s not exactly a reassuring description, is it?

Much of the marks against our local bridges have to do with outdated bridge railings.

The point isn’t that we should all cry foul and cringe each time we cross one of these bridges.

The point is we need to keep such boring topics — bridges, water wells and sewage treatment plants — in our minds and on the agenda of our government leaders.

Infrastructure items can easily be taken for granted until they’re gone. Unfortunately, when they go, lives often go too.