Report on Minnesota I-35 Bridge Collapse

Two links to news stories about the pending NTSB report on the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, MN. Check back; I plan to update this article with additional links as they become available.

News articles from 12 and 13 November:

• AP: Safety Board to release report
• Duluth: State of Minnesota improves bridge inspection process
• AP: Extra load of construction material contribute to collapse
• AP: Design errors led to collapse

NTSB Presentation and related articles:

• NTSB Official Press Release
• Synopsis of NTSB conclusions
• Presentation by Jim Wildey on conclusions of investigation (11 Mb pdf)
• Links to other presentations and flash or wmv animations

Anyone who has seen my class lecture on the static equilibrium calculation for the gusset plate (based on the January 2008 NTSB Interim report (400 kb pdf) about gusset plate design flaw) will recognize many of the details in this presentation.

• WP: article on the report
• ASCE article about the report
• and collection of ASCE info on the investigation
• CNN: Design flaw led to collapse
• AP: Design errors led to collapse (includes photo of deformed gusset plate)

The final NTSB report does not seem to be in their publication archives yet. Based on the publication dates, it might not appear there for some time.