posted on September 20, 2007 11:27:39 AM new
Report: Consultant Hired, Not Used to Check Collapsed Minneapolis Bridge
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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MINNEAPOLIS —
The Minnesota Department of Transportation hired — but decided not to use — an engineering consultant to help look for flaws in the Interstate 35W bridge just three months before the span collapsed, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
The Star Tribune said transportation department staffers used visual and ultrasonic methods in May to go over just over half of one critical section of the bridge and then suspended the inspection, planning to resume it this fall after a resurfacing job on the bridge was finished.
The bridge collapsed Aug. 1, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100.
The newspaper said the unfinished inspection raised questions about why transportation officials didn't complete the inspection in the spring or use its consultant after awarding it a contract for that purpose.
"The inspectors who were going through it did not have need for assistance," state chief bridge engineer Dan Dorgan told the newspaper. "I talked to the inspectors sometime after May. Pretty brief. 'Did you find any problems?' And the answer was no."
Ronald Low, a spokesman for the consultant, URS Corp., told the newspaper the company would not comment and referred all questions to state transportation officials.
The newspaper also reported that the initial focus of the special inspection was going to be on the south end of the bridge, the part believed to have collapsed first, but state inspectors instead started on the north end. Officials said the switch was made for logistical convenience.
"The bridge inspection is one of the many things that we're looking at as part of this investigation," said Terry Williams, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the main investigation into the collapse. "We're still in the early stages."
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
posted on September 20, 2007 11:43:01 AM new
"Did you find any problems? And the answer was no."
Imo, they should be the FIRST brought before a grand jury to answer why they answered in that manner.
Personally, I still believe the bridge was just overloaded with more weight than it was ever designed to hold. The regular traffic, heavy and full plus all the workers and their equipment who were repaving/repairing the bridge.
posted on September 20, 2007 02:43:03 PM new
I'm surpised the wonder twins didn't go to the DOT beforehand... I mean with all their foresight and expertise... if I was them I would have been at the Minnesota DOT door screaming my head off that the bridge would collapse any minute. That's what a real hero would have done. But that's what we should expect from the Dynamic Duo of Dumb.
posted on September 20, 2007 04:31:47 PM new
Well, shag, it's true....linduh and other neocons say they have never taken anything from the government so that must mean they've built their own bridges, highways, etc. So they should be quite the "experts" by now.
Oh, they must fight their own wars , too, since they don't accept help from the government.
posted on September 24, 2007 01:18:33 PM new
Bear I bet you got a good look at my butt. I know how much you like looking at the back side of men. I hope you got a good look at it. Did you learn anything from the Larry Craig incident? I wouldn't want you to get arrested for improper behavior.
"In my experience, those who do not like you fall into two categories: the stupid, and the envious. - John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester
posted on September 25, 2007 09:28:26 AM new
That makes sense also, Stonecold. I've seen those northern cars/trucks that are all rusted out because of what they put on the roads to keep them usable.
Are YOU a Bunghole?