Top News

Minneapolis (AP) ― Standing near the wreckage from last week's bridge collapse, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced a $50 million down payment on emergency relief aid for Minnesota on Friday.

The money will be on top of $5 million in aid released by the federal Department of Transportation right after the Interstate 35W bridge fell into the Mississippi River on Aug. 1, and in addition to the $5 million the state's congressional delegation secured to help the local public transit system cope with the loss of the heavily used bridge, she said.

"We want to make sure the state has the resources to move forward," Peters told reporters.

The $50 million will come out of the $250 million in relief that Congress authorized shortly after the disaster but has not yet appropriated. The money can be used for recovery, removal of debris, preparing the site for reconstruction and other costs.

"We want to make sure the state has the resources to move forward," Peters said at a news conference.

Peters said the money can be used for recovery, removal of debris, preparing the site for reconstruction and other costs. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the costs related to the disaster -- ranging from emergency medical services to long hours put in by law enforcement officers -- are considerable and haven't even been fully calculated yet.

"On behalf of Minnesota, we are grateful for all of this help," he told Peters and members of the state's congressional delegation, including Sen. Norm Coleman and Reps. Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and John Kline.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said the city has a system to track costs related to the bridge collapse, but he declined to say what the running total is so far.

Peters later stopped by a Metro Transit bus garage to promise another $5 million to support transit for commuters who had used the bridge, which carried 140,000 vehicles a day. Transit officials have expanded express bus service since the bridge collapse, and said the federal money will help them cover the costs.

"We want to make sure the state has the resources to move forward," Peters said.

Peters said the $50 million in expedited federal funds can be used for recovery, removal of debris, preparing the site for reconstruction and other costs. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the costs related to the disaster -- ranging from emergency medical services to long hours put in by law enforcement officers -- are considerable and haven't even been fully calculated yet.

"On behalf of Minnesota, we are grateful for all of this help," he told Peters and members of the state's congressional delegation, including Sen. Norm Coleman and Reps. Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and John Kline.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said the city has a system to track costs related to the bridge collapse, but he declined to say what the running total is so far.

The Northstar commuter rail line -- a planned 40-mile route that would bring commuters into Minneapolis from as far northwest as Big Lake -- might get faster federal approval because of the disaster. Peters said her agency is ready to approve the $320 million project once the Minnesota Department of Transportation shows it can handle any cost overruns.

The line's supporters include Pawlenty, who stood with Peters at the line's planned entrance into downtown Minneapolis just a month ago. State officials hope to get the project partially running by October or November, two years ahead of their original schedule.

Meanwhile, authorities were trying Friday to identify the most recently discovered human remains recovered from the river, and Navy salvage divers continued searching the murky waters for more bodies of the handful of people still missing following the collapse, which killed at least seven people and injured about 100.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said investigators had an "interesting development" on Thursday when they received a still photograph of the bridge before it fell. He said the picture clearly showed where loads and equipment were located on the bridge and will help with the analysis of what caused the collapse.

Rosenker said that if investigators identify any "glaring safety gap" that might apply to other bridges they would alert authorities around the country as a precautionary measure.

Navy divers went back into the water around sunrise Friday, said Senior Chief Dave Nagle, spokesman for the dive team. "Since we've been here for a few days, they've got a good feel for the area -- some of the places where it is pretty challenging to move around," he said.

On Thursday, two days after joining the search, divers recovered the remains of two, or perhaps three, victims from the underwater debris.

Authorities identified Peter Joseph Hausmann, 47, from nearby Rosemount, as one of those whose remains were recovered. Divers later found more remains initially thought to have belonged to one person, but authorities later said they may have belonged to two others. Authorities were still working Friday to identify them.

"The additional remains appear to probably represent more than one individual," Medical Examiner Andrew Baker said Thursday night.

Baker said it might become more difficult to positively identify remains now that they've been in the water more than a week. He said dental records and DNA evidence would be used if needed.

Hausmann was among eight people listed as missing and presumed killed. Among the others were a pregnant nursing student and her 2-year-old daughter, and another woman and her adult son, who has Down syndrome.

Hausmann was a computer security specialist and a former missionary who met his wife, Helen, in Kenya. The evening of the collapse, he was heading to St. Louis Park to pick up a friend for dinner. Hausmann called home while sitting in traffic, but the line went dead.

Nine survivors remained hospitalized Friday. The one remaining victim who had been in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center was upgraded to serious condition Friday morning, a hospital spokeswoman said. Eight survivors are still hospitalized at HCMC -- five in serious condition and three in satisfactory condition -- while one remained at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in good condition.

(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)