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Minneapolis Bridge Collapse: New Data and Initiatives

Follow up to postings, National Bridge Inventory (NBI) and 2006 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges and Transit and DOT IG Will Conduct Assessment of National Bridge Inspection, related news today:

  • NTSB Advisory August 8, 2007 – Update on NTSB Investigation of Collapse of I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis: “…Chairman Rosenker said that NTSB investigators have observed a design issue with gusset plates at particular locations (gusset plates are steel plates that tie steel beams together). Safety Board investigators are in the process of verifying the loads and stresses on the gusset plates at these locations, as well as the materials used in constructing the gusset plates. This information has been shared with the other parties to the investigation, including the Federal Highway Administration.”
  • Oberstar Announces National Bridge Plan – Initiative would create dedicated fund for bridge repair, August 8, 2007: “Just one week after an Interstate highway bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, MN, taking at least five lives and plunging dozens of vehicles and their occupants into the Mississippi River, Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.) today proposed a comprehensive program to repair the nation’s structurally deficient bridges.”
  • House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: “A study released by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics in August of 2007 shows that, of 597,340 bridges in the country, 73,784 are structurally deficient. The Department of Transportation (DOT) defines a structurally deficient bridge as one that requires significant maintenance attention, rehabilitation or replacement.”
  • State by State Listing of Structurally Deficient Bridges

  • US Bridge Map: “This site is intended to be a resource for folks who are curious about how safe the road bridges are in their area. The map shows information for over 700,000 bridges located in the 50 States, DC & PR. The Data is current as of 1/1/06 and is from the National Bridge Inventory (NBI)…”
  • Minneapolis Bridge Collapse & Citizen Journalism
  • DOT, Federal Highway Administration, Recording and Coding Guide for the Structure Inventory and Appraisal of the Nation’s Bridges, December 1995 (124 pages, PDF)
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