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State Representative Ron Erhardt
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4363
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
NEWS RELEASE
ERHARDT SELECTED FOR BRIDGE COLLAPSE INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE
ST. PAUL – State Representative Ron Erhardt, R-Edina, will be one of 16 legislators looking into whether or not state policies and MnDOT decision making played a role in the 35W bridge collapse.
Erhardt will join seven other representatives and eight senators on the bipartisan committee that will review the bridge’s inspection reports and MnDOT’s work on the bridge. They will also look into which, if any, other bridges might be in danger of immediate failure.
“We will especially focus on the 35W bridge inspection reports starting in 1990 when the bridge was first rated structurally deficient,” Erhardt said. “We need to take a look at how the department responded and what they could have done better. That should give us an idea of what to do and not do in the future when dealing with structurally deficient bridges.”
The committee will also examine MnDOT’s staffing to determine if it has enough workers to inspect, maintain, repair and replace highway bridges. A 1997 report by the Office of the Legislative Auditor found that “MnDOT probably does not perform enough preventative maintenance”. The report also found a backlog of bridges labeled structurally deficient and warned of an “emerging problem” with steel fatigue in several bridges. The collapsed bridge, which carried the structurally deficient label for seven years at the time, was not specifically mentioned in the report.
Erhardt said the committee will use its findings to make recommendations on potential changes to the ways MnDOT maintains and inspects bridges.
“If there is anything we can learn, we’re going to learn it and apply it. We don’t ever want a disaster like this to happen again,” Erhardt said.
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News Items
- ERHARDT ANNOUNCES SURVEY RESULTS - (Posted: 2007-10-11 00:00:00)
- ERHARDT SELECTED FOR BRIDGE COLLAPSE INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE - (Posted: 2007-08-18 00:00:00)
- ERHARDT HONORED BY COALITION OF GREATER MINNESOTA CITIES - (Posted: 2007-07-31 00:00:00)
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