WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Nearly half of all Americans are worried about the collapse of a bridge somewhere in the United States , yet nearly two-thirds reject higher taxes to inspect and fix them , according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Thursday . The collapse of a bridge in Minnesota has put America 's infrastructure on the political agenda . In the poll , 52 percent were either `` very worried '' or `` somewhat worried '' about a bridge collapsing . Forty-seven percent were either `` not too worried '' or `` not worried at all . '' One percent had no opinion . But only one in three Americans are concerned that a bridge that they drive across regularly will collapse , while 69 percent are not worried . In an effect called BIMBY -- `` Better In My Back Yard '' -- that is common in polling , CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said people often feel that situations locally are better than the national averages . The new numbers come eight days after an interstate highway bridge in Minneapolis , Minnesota , collapsed into the Mississippi River . At least five people were killed in the collapse . Despite the concerns , only one-third of those polled favor increasing the tax on gas to pay for bridge inspections and repairs . The federal program to inspect and repair bridges is funded mostly by the federal tax on gasoline . Sixty-five percent of those questioned were against raising that tax . `` Polls sometimes show that the public is willing to accept higher taxes to pay for popular projects , but not in this case , '' Holland said . `` With the price of gasoline hovering around $ 3 , it may not be surprising that Americans do n't want to pay any more at the pump , even though they worry about bridge safety . '' Several members of the House Transportation Committee are calling for the tax hike in the wake of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis last week . Congressman James Oberstar , D-Minnesota , on Wednesday said he would introduce legislation for bridge repair funding and increased inspections . He says a 5-cent increase in the gas tax would pay for the proposed three-year program by generating $ 8.5 billion a year . Citing 74,000 bridges rated by the federal government as `` structurally deficient , '' Oberstar told reporters `` we can not wait for another tragedy . We must , and we will , act decisively . '' At a news conference Thursday morning at the White House , President Bush dismissed raising the federal gasoline tax , at least until Congress changes the way it spends highway money . `` It 's an interesting question , about how Congress spends and prioritizes highway money , '' the president said . `` My suggestion would be that they revisit the process by which they spend gasoline money in the first place . '' `` If bridges are a priority , let 's make sure we set that priority first and foremost , before we raise taxes , '' Bush said . The poll involved telephone interviews with 1,029 American adults conducted August 6-8 , 2007 . The poll 's margin of error was plus-or-minus 3 percentage points E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Steve Brusk contributed to this report .
Twenty - two percent of Americans fear that a bridge will collapse in the U.S . One - third fear a bridge they drive over regularly will collapse . Nearly two - thirds reject higher federal funding to inspect or repair bridges .