I-35W bridge

(Newser) - Think about this the next time you drive over a bridge: An AP analysis of 607,380 bridges in the most recent federal National Bridge Inventory showed that 65,605 were classified as "structurally deficient" and 20,808 as "fracture critical." A bridge is deemed fracture critical...

(Newser) - Gusset plates on the Minnesota bridge that collapsed this summer already showed signs of weakness in 2003 photos just released by the National Transportation Safety Board, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Two bowed plates were located at junctions already suspected by investigators to be the first points of failure in...