Bridge Collapse

• Mar 26, 2008 6:26 pm US/Central
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  MnDOT: Gusset Plate Photo Inconclusive On Bending

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MnDOT: Gusset Plate Photo Inconclusive On Bending

The Minnesota Transportation Department is commenting on reports about photos that apparently show slightly bent gusset plates on the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis taken four years before the bridge collapsed.

The agency says the photos alone weren't enough to conclude that the plates that hold beams together were bent. A spokeswoman says physical measurements would be necessary to support the conclusion that the plates were bent, and reports from years of inspections made no mention of bowing.

She says that if a gusset plate had been visibly out of alignment, it would have been noted. However, she also says she couldn't rule out that the plates were bent.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)