Minn. Bridge Collapse

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May 2008
- Minn., Bridge Victims Strike $38M Compensation Deal
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | May 2, 08 1:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Minnesota will establish two funds totaling $38 million to compensate victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people last summer, the Star Tribune reports. One pool allows victims up to $400,000 each; the other provides those "extraordinarily impacted" by the collapse with extra funds for medical bills and other needs. In exchange, victims will waive their right to sue the city or state. More »
March 2008
- 2003 Photos Reveal Flaws in Collapsed Minn. Bridge
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | Mar 24, 08 6:23 AM CDT
  
  (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 the deadly collapse, and had been previously reported as “under-designed” by authorities. More »
January 2008
- Bridge Had Fatal Design Flaw
  
  Associated Press | Jan 15, 08 11:50 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Minneapolis bridge that failed last summer, killing 13 people, had fatal design flaws, the NTSB announced today. Steel gusset plates that held together beams on the eight-lane bridge were half the thickness they should have been, investigators found. While the agency didn't say the gusset plates caused the collapse,16 fractured plates were discovered on the center span, which collapsed during the evening rush hour Aug. 1, AP reports. More »
November 2007
- Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Nov 15, 07 1:17 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - More American truckers are carrying illegally heavy loads, looking to offset diminished manpower and skyrocketing fuel prices—and light fines encourage cheating, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With road damage at issue following August's Minnesota bridge collapse, 30% of trucks are reportedly overloaded—and each of the 8 million tractor-trailers on US roads has the impact of 5,000 cars. More »
September 2007
- DOT Chief: Two-Wheelers Don’t Count
  
  Salon | Sep 14, 07 6:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Bicyclists and green activists beg to differ with Mary Peters, the US transportation secretary who decreed last month that bicycle and walking paths shouldn’t fall under her funding purview, and spending on them may be to blame for the poor state of roads and bridges. Advocates of pedal power have been in an uproar ever since Peters said biking and walking are "are really not transportation," Salon reports. More »
August 2007
- Sensors Could Stop the Next Bridge Collapse
  
  BusinessWeek | Aug 13, 07 5:43 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New technology can diagnose bridge stress months before human investigators—currently armed with binoculars— could ever detect them. BusinessWeek compares the small wireless sensors to stethoscopes, as they’re capable of gauging vibration, temperature and corrosion beneath the paint. Testers ride trucks over the sensors and monitor signals, listening for the small sounds that signal weakness. More »
- Rescuers Find More Remains at Bridge Site
  
  USA Today | Aug 12, 07 9:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Divers recovered more human remains from the Mississippi River bridge site today after being kept out of the water in a thunderstorm last night, CNN reports. The divers fought dangerous river currents to bring up the remains, which were not identified on the scene. Five people are still missing in the collapse, which has injured 100 and taken 8 lives so far. More »
- Baby's Body Found at Bridge
  
  CNN | Aug 10, 07 5:37 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The body of a 2-year-old girl is among those recovered from the wreckage of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis; the toddler's mother has not yet been found, CNN reports. Remains located by divers in the Mississippi today bring the total number of casualties in the Aug. 1 collapse to at least nine. More »
- Two Bodies Pulled From Bridge Debris
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | Aug 9, 07 6:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Authorities recovered two more bodies from the wreckage of the I-35W bridge today, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, bringing the official death toll to seven. One of the bodies has already been identified, and police anticipated retrieving a third as work continued for a seventh full day in and around the Mississippi River. More »
- Bush Dismisses Gas Tax Hike for Bridge Repair
  
  New York Times | Aug 9, 07 5:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush today rejected a gasoline tax increase that would raise money for bridge repairs across the country, saying Congress should reevaluate the way it allocates tax revenues now. In a wide-ranging press conference before departing for vacation in Maine, he continued to defend Alberto Gonzales and fielded numerous questions about Iraq, the Times reports. More »
- Feds Spot Bridge Support Flaw
  
  New York Times | Aug 9, 07 5:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Federal experts investigating the Minneapolis bridge disaster have identified a structural flaw that may have led to the collapse, reports the New York Times . Investigators suspect that steel gusset plates used to connect the girders weren't strong enough to support the bridge right from the start. Federal authorities immediately warned states to be careful to calculate added weight when assigning construction crews to work on bridges. More »
- Inspectors Highlighted Bridge Faults
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | Aug 8, 07 6:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The I-35W bridge collapse followed 10 years' worth of warnings from bridge inspectors, who eventually recommended that the structure be replaced, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Experts disagree on the urgency with which the warnings were issued and should have been addressed, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty said yesterday that no experts indicated the bridge should be closed. More »
- Why Small Government Has Collapsed
  
  American Prospect | Aug 8, 07 6:08 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Democrats have never been so well positioned to sell big-government liberalism—as the other side looks pathetically out of step with Americans’ desires to expand health care and bolster infrastructure, says the American Prospect ’s Paul Waldman. After the Minnesota bridge collapse, the public is ready for the party that says “we’re all in it together” rather than “we’re all on our own.” More »
- Investigators Plan Bridge Reassembly
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | Aug 6, 07 4:46 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - NTSB investigators will rebuild the wreckage of the I-35W bridge downriver, the Star Tribune reports. Safety officials will examine the twisted rubble piece by piece in an attempt to figure out what caused last week's devastating collapse. Investigators also hope to recover bodies still trapped in the debris. More »
- Bridge Still a Threat Days After Collapse
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | Aug 5, 07 4:26 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A final report on the specifics of the Minneapolis bridge collapse will be delayed because of the continuing danger the wreckage poses to investigators, a federal official says, and local authorities project that the cleanup will cost as much as $15 million. The report will examine claims the bridge had been wobbling days before Wednesday’s collapse, the Star Tribune reports. More »
- McCain Blames Earmarks for Bridge Disaster
  
  Associated Press | Aug 5, 07 1:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - John McCain blasted fellow legislators yesterday for contributing to the Minnesota bridge collapse by spending billions of taxpayer dollars on pet projects rather than transportation safety. "Maybe if we had done it right, maybe some of that money would have gone to inspect those bridges and other bridges around the country," he said during a town hall meeting in Iowa. More »
- Bush Inspects Bridge Collapse
  
  Associated Press | Aug 4, 07 10:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush got an aerial view of the collapsed highway bridge in Minneapolis today, as his Marine One helicapter circled the site several times to allow the commander in chief to inspect the wreckage. He listened to briefings on plans for recovery, and met with victims' families. More »
- Bridge Collapse Still a Mystery
  
  Time | Aug 3, 07 8:22 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - State and private experts are investigating the wreckage of the I-35W bridge in search of a structural explanation for Wednesday's collapse, and sophisticated computer modeling is testing stress points. Time looks at bridges, seemingly indestructible structures that carry enormous volumes of traffic and can succumb to anything from corrosion to a faulty component the size of a pin. More »
- Hero Counselor Saves Kids From Bus on Bridge
  
  New York Daily News | Aug 3, 07 8:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - When a bus packed with kids returning from a field trip came to rest at a precarious angle on the collapsed I-35W bridge, dangling over the Mississippi River, counselor Jeremy Hernandez barely had time to think. "I knew we had to get them out of there," the 20-year-old said yesterday, recalling the effort that brought all 52 children to safety. More »
- Bridge Rated 'Structurally Deficient' in 2005
  
  Associated Press | Aug 3, 07 4:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Federal engineers rated the Minneapolis bridge that plunged into the Mississippi as "structurally deficient" as far back as 1990 and as recently as 2005, citing significant corrosion in its bearings. But state officials opted for patchwork repairs and more inspections rather than a complete overhaul. "We thought we had done all we could," said an engineer. "Obviously, something went terribly wrong." More »