Possible design flaw found in collapsed bridge

< Prev | 1 | 2

Video: Minneapolis bridge collapse

Another body recovered following bridge collapse
Aug. 10: Divers found another body in the wreckage of a Minneapolis bridge that collapses last week. MSNBC's Alex Witt reports.

Bridge rebuilding put on fast track

Search, recovery, and prayers in Minn.

Pres. Bush promises to expedite Minn. bridge rebuild

Bridge collapse missings’ families cling to hope

Bush vows to expedite bridge rebuilding

School bus hero adjusts to limelight

Are other U.S. bridges safe?

Images of bridge tragedy

AP	Aftermath of tragedy Authorities search through rubble after deadly Minneapolis bridge collapse, while a community grapples with loss.
Getty Images	Mourning the victims Friends and family grieve over the casualties of the Minn. bridge collapse.
AP	Bridge collapse A span of freeway plunges into the Mississippi River during rush hour in Minneapolis.

Were you there?

Send in your images, video | Gallery: Eyewitness photos

Message board

Share your thoughts on bridge, road safety

Interactive

'Deficient' and 'obsolete'

A look at aging bridges across America

Click to learn what happened today

Gas tax proposed
Five people are confirmed dead in the collapse, with at least eight others missing and presumed dead. At least eight people were still hospitalized Wednesday, one in critical condition.

Also Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, the Minnesota Democrat who is chairman of the U.S. House Transportation Committee, proposed a temporary gas tax increase of 5 cents a gallon. It would pay for a new trust fund to repair and replace structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System.

The trust fund would be modeled on the federal Highway Trust Fund, which pays for building and repairing roads and bridges through the gasoline tax. Money in the new trust fund could not be used for any other purpose than bridges.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged to support legislative efforts to repair the nation’s aging bridges, roads and schools.

“Our sadness must at least be met with a commitment to address our infrastructure shortcomings. It’s a huge task,” the California Democrat said Wednesday at a meeting in Massachusetts of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

New bridge planned
Flags flew at half-staff Wednesday — the one-week anniversary of the collapse — at the state Capitol in St. Paul.

At one observance Tuesday, people threw flowers into the river and poured a vial of water into the river after blessing it.

“This is how we can really reverence the silence of the dead,” said Sister Rita McDonald of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

State officials have announced tentative plans for a replacement bridge, with five lanes each way instead of four.

The new bridge also might be built to accommodate future bus rapid transit or light rail service.

Officials said they will start narrowing the field of potential contractors this week and by Sept. 1 they hope to select the builder.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the aggressive timeline — the goal is to have it open before the end of next year — won’t mean corners are cut.

“We are going to get this bridge built safely, number one,” he said at a news conference.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

< Prev | 1 | 2

Discuss Story On Newsvine
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh
Email
Instant Message
Print