ST. PAUL, Minn. - Gov. Tim Pawlenty today directed Mn/DOT to take
several actions to address issues related to the I-35W bridge collapse:
1. Mn/DOT will hire Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., a forensic
engineering firm, to do an independent investigation of the cause of the
collapse. This effort will be in cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board which will conduct its own investigation to determine what led to the collapse of the bridge.
2. Mn/DOT will hire an independent firm to review bridge inspection
processes and protocols used in the state.
3. Mn/DOT will conduct an emergency inspection, in priority order, of
all bridges that have the same deficiency rating as the I-35W bridge,
beginning with the three Minnesota bridges that have the same arch deck
truss design as the collapsed bridge. These bridges are Highway 23 over
the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Highway 123 over the Kettle River in
Sandstone and Highway 243 over the St. Croix River to Osceola, Wisc.
Governor Pawlenty also said that National Transportation Safety Board
will conduct its own investigation to determine what led to the collapse
of the bridge.
At a news conference today, Bob McFarlin, Mn/DOT's Assistant to the
Commissioner for Policy and Public Affairs said, "On behalf of Lt.
Gov./Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau and everyone at Mn/DOT, we
extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of those
affected by this catastrophe."
Mn/DOT Bridge Engineer Dan Dorgan spoke about Mn/DOT's inspection
practices and the history of inspections on the I-35W bridge.
Tom Everett, structural engineer from the Federal Highway Administration
in Washington D.C. provided an explanation of the term "structurally
deficient." He said that this is a programmatic classification and not a
reference to safety.
Khani Sahebjam, Mn/DOT Metro Division Engineer, talked about work that
was being done on the bridge at the time of the collapse--a $9 million
project to do patching, concrete overlay and joint repair.
More information, including inspection reports, fact sheets and traffic detour details related to the I-35W bridge collapse, can be found on Mn/DOT’s Web site at mndot.gov.
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