MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 3 As recovery divers moved from car to car
in the murky waters of the Mississippi River on Friday, state
officials across the country raced to inspect bridges that are
similar to the steel-deck truss bridge that collapsed here, killing
at least five people.
Todd Heisler/The New York Times
Workers continued recovery operations on Friday at the Interstate
35W bridge collapse. An uncertain number of people were still
missing and presumed dead beneath the waters.
One bridge, in Missouri, was closed indefinitely as a precaution.
Elsewhere, bridge inspectors were told to cancel their vacations to
conduct the emergency inspections and, in some cases, also
re-examine bridges with designs unlike the fallen Interstate 35W
bridge.
In Washington, the inspector general for the federal Transportation
Department was ordered to review the National Bridge Inspection
Program, which oversees bridges across the country, including more
than 70,000 that have been found to be structurally deficient.
Among other things, investigators are to examine whether the
necessary repairs are being made to the deficient bridges.
In addition to those confirmed dead in the bridge collapse here on
Wednesday, an uncertain number of people some authorities say the
number would most likely be close to eight were still considered
missing and presumed dead beneath the waters. An additional 100
people were injured, more than 20 of them arriving at hospitals a
day or two after the collapse, having only then felt the physical
effects of their ordeals.
As devastating as the deaths and injuries have been for the city,
some officials credited the much-criticized design of the bridge,
at least in part, for preventing the likely death toll from being
even worse on the crammed I-35W, a crucial downtown
thoroughfare.
Because the bridge had structural supports beneath the road
surface, vehicles were not pummeled by steel from above them when
the bridge fell, as happens in some bridge collapses, said Jim
Clack, this citys fire chief.
Other factors, Chief Clack said, may have helped too: the bridge
was so crowded during that evenings rush hour that cars were
barely moving, leading many of the cars to almost ride the bridge
down as it suddenly dropped 60 feet, apparently preventing them
from actually landing in the waters below.
In a way, we were lucky, Chief Clack said.
Still, many people, including some family members of those killed
in the collapse, were questioning state officials handling of
potential flaws in the bridge and said signs of trouble had been
ignored. The bridge had been deemed structurally deficient in
1990, but it was not expected to be replaced until 2020.
As recently as this year, the safety of the bridge had clearly been
a point of concern within the Minnesota Department of
Transportation. A consulting company hired by the state to examine
fatigue cracking in the deck truss suggested extra metal plating
might be added in some areas; at the time of the collapse, the
state had not installed such reinforcements.
The company, URS, had also offered other alternatives, including
more examinations of the troubled areas, which the state
pursued.
In an interview here, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, said the
state had relied on the engineers and the experts as it made
maintenance choices.
They made a decision in this case that they thought was
appropriate at the time, but now we have to ask the tough questions
about whether that was a reasonable decision, Mr. Pawlenty said.
I can assure you that we will get to the bottom of it.
Few words, though, could bring comfort to the families of those
still missing, who had begun to wonder when, if ever, their loved
ones might be found, or to the families of those who died.
Somebody should be charged with murder, said Khaffak Ansari,
ex-husband of Julia Blackhawk, who died in the bridge collapse. We
live in this superpower, and they tell us things are safe.
President Bush was expected to fly to Minneapolis on Saturday.
Laura Bush, the first lady, toured the area on Friday, meeting with
volunteers and emergency workers.
National Transportation Safety Board officials continued their
investigation into the cause of the collapse, focusing their
attention on the southern part of the bridge which, they said,
seemed to behave differently than the bridges other sections.
While much of the bridge essentially fell in place, the southern
section seemed to shift in an eastward direction about 50 feet,
said Mark V. Rosenker, chairman of the safety board.
By Friday, divers had managed to locate at least a dozen submerged
cars, despite treacherous conditions in the rushing waters, steeped
with muck, metal and electrical wires. By nightfall, no bodies had
been found inside cars; the body of the fifth victim, reported by
the authorities on Friday, was recovered on the rivers edge on
Thursday. The search was expected to continue for days.
