Nov 14 2008
Findings Are In for 2007 Minneapolis I-35W Bridge Collapse
Remember watching the video of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis back in August of 2007? The investigation into the bridge failure is complete and the findings are in:
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators probing the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis said Thursday that the structure was heavily loaded with construction equipment — equivalent to the weight of a 747 airplane — hours before a set of improperly designed joints failed catastrophically.
The added weight, combined with errors in the original design of the so-called gussett plates, appeared to produce the breaking point in the Aug. 1, 2007, disaster that killed 13 people and injured 145.
Too much construction weight added to the failure? The equipment was like parking a 747 on the bridge? That squealing noise you hear is the sound of thousands of attorneys racing toward Minneapolis. Yikes.
