Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Blamed On Error In Design
Undersize gusset plates in the Interstate 35-W bridge in Minneapolis were “the critical factor” in the bridge collapse last year that killed 13 people and injured 100, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
Chairman Mark Rosenker said the plates, which connected steel beams, were roughly half the thickness they should have been because of a design error. Investigators found 16 fractured gusset plates from the bridge’s center span, he said.
“It is the undersizing of the design which we believe is the critical factor here. It is the critical factor that began the process of this collapse. That’s what failed,” Rosenker said.
Interestingly, the bridge was found to be deficient structurally according to the federal government for nearly 2 decades, calling in to question the state’s maintenance. The legal outcome of this should prove interesting.
Link to Article, from Drudge Report
20 January 2008 | Construction Defect, Construction and Law, Design, General, Inspections, Litigation | Comments
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