May 21, 2008 11:08 pm US/Central
Reality Check: Legislative Bridge Collapse Report
(WCCO)
Budget cuts. Staff layoffs. Bridge inspections mishandled or unread. Those are just some of the findings of a new investigation, done by a firm the Legislature hired, of the Minnesota Department of Transportation before the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
As the new Interstate I-35W bridge takes shape, the investigation reveals a rat's nest of bureaucracy that it said prevented the state from knowing how badly the bridge was deteriorating.
It's TRUE.
For 17 years, the I-35W bridge was rated "poor" and "fracture critical." But for all of those years, condition reports were apparently split apart, sent to the wrong offices or filed away.
"These inspection reports would come back to MnDOT and were supposed to land on various desks so that people could take a look and determine what kind of action was necessary," said Kathryn Bergstrom with the law firm Gray, Plant and Mooty that did the report. "They just didn't do that."
But that's NOT THE WHOLE STORY.
The I-35W bridge collapse might have been averted if Minnesota had only known of a similar bridge defect in Ohio during the 1990s. However, the federal government never notified the states.
"We think it's an unfortunate tragedy that that information didn't get disseminated in a way that would have brought it to the attention of the decision makers at MnDOT and every other state," said Robert Stein with Gray, Plant and Mooty.
And IN FACT...
The report confirms what critics have long said: Budget cuts by the state helped postpone the repair work on the bridge that needed to be done.
"Unfortunately it's our conclusion that funding consideration did defer work on the bridge," said Bruce Mooty of Gray, Plant and Mooty.
Here's the REALITY...
The report avoids making political judgments, but observes that Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau's presence as commissioner put politics at play, strongly suggesting it is inappropriate for a statewide elected official to serve in that post.
That's Reality Check.
To check the resources for this Reality Check, click on the links below:
Joint Committee to Investigate the Bridge Collapse Report
Gray, Plant and Mooty's Investigative Report On The I-35W Bridge Collapse
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