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Vol. 71/No. 31      September 3, 2007

 
Gov't disregard for safety led to bridge collapse
 
BY TOM BAUMANN  
MINNEAPOLIS, August 12—On the evening of August 1, the I-35W bridge, a major roadway in this city that crosses the Mississippi River, collapsed during rush-hour traffic. Many cars and a bus on the bridge fell into the river. To date, nine people have been confirmed dead and about 100 injured.

The bridge was the most heavily used in the state, transporting an estimated 140,000 vehicles a day.

As early as 1990, federal inspectors rated the overpass as “structurally deficient” due to significant corrosion in the bearings. In a 2005 inspection, the bridge received a rating of 50 on scale of 100 for structural stability.

I-35 was a truss bridge, with a 458-foot-long steel arch supporting it to avoid putting piers in the water. These types of bridges are more susceptible to collapse if they are not well maintained than suspension and other bridges, according to engineers.

Dan Dorgan, a Minnesota Department of Transportation bridge engineer, told Minnesota Public Radio that in a study conducted from 2004 to 2007, two options were given: either add steel plates to reinforce critical parts of the bridge or conduct more thorough inspections. “We chose the inspection route,” he said.

No government officials have accepted responsibility for the lack of action to repair this or other deficient bridges.

The collapse shows the continuing crumbling of infrastructure in the United States and the failure of the federal, state, and local governments to devote resources to make necessary repairs.

Two recent events in New York City highlighted this problem. On July 18 an 83-year old steam pipe burst in midtown Manhattan, killing one person and injuring 45. Then on August 8, a two-hour heavy rainfall paralyzed the subway system when drainage tunnels were overwhelmed. These incidents have drawn attention to the deteriorating service and lack of maintenance by the companies involved, Con Edison and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, respectively.

The I-35W bridge is just one out of about 77,000 U.S. bridges considered structurally deficient, about 1,160 of which are in Minnesota.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it could be a year before it issues its final report on the cause of the bridge collapse.
 
 
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