Bridge collapse investigation update

In about a month, an investigation into the Department of Transportation’s role in the Interstate 35W bridge collapse is due to be shared.

The law firm of Gray Plant Mooty was retained by the Legislature in mid-December to aid in the investigation of the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse that killed 13 people. The firm gave an update April 9 to the Joint Committee to Investigate the Bridge Collapse.

“We’re looking at policy and practices within MnDOT to see how safety concerns were addressed to help guide the Legislature on future policy issues,” said Robert Stein, counsel at Gray Plant Mooty. He said the National Transportation Safety Board is looking into technical reasons why the Minneapolis span collapsed.

He said firm investigators have reviewed more than 16,000 documents and are expecting more. Despite the tight time frame and the volume of information consumed, Stein said work is on schedule for the mid-May deadline.

Kathryn Bergstrom, co-chair of the firm’s Business and General Litigation Group, said some department documents have been slow to come in because of data privacy issues; however, the department has been good to work with.

Stein said it would be “premature and counterproductive” to give any preliminary findings, but said issues being looked at include:

• the effect of increased load levels and other structure modifications over time;

• if appropriate action was taken after outside reports about bridge safety and maintenance were shared;

• whether key MnDOT personnel have a voice about safety, and if clear lines of decision-making were made;

• if MnDOT has adequate staff to ensure the safety of the state’s infrastructure; and

• if cost was an issue when addressing safety concerns of the bridge.

Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) also encouraged the report to include positives.

“I’d like to see what the department is doing right so people see that we have a good bridge program,” he said. For example, he said the recent closing of a similar-style bridge in St. Cloud was a good thing.