Way back in 1990, Minnesota officials were warned that the bridge that collapsed yesterday was “structurally deficient”. But, instead of replacing the span, they relied on a series of patchwork fixes and frequent inspections.
“We thought we had done all we could,” state bridge engineer Dan Dorgan told reporters not far from the mangled remains of the span. “Obviously something went terribly wrong.”
Now, consider for a moment how many other bridges in the U.S. are in the exact same condition as the I-35 bridge was yesterday before it broke apart. Federal officials called today for nationwide inspections on all bridges in hopes that another tragedy could be averted.
Here’s the latest…
— Dozens still missing
— Schoolchildren struggled to escape
— Engineers see danger in aging infrustructure
— Recent bridge and highway collapes