August 3, 2007 - *For Fri M.E.* Gov. Tim Pawlenty has ordered an immediate inspection of all Minnesota bridges that have a design like the one that collapsed. Federal officials have also alerted states to immediately inspect all bridges similar to the I-35W bridge. Meanwhile, National Transportation Safety Board investigators say they have a strong chance of determining why Minnesota's busiest bridge fell. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports:
August 4, 2007 - Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board say the investigation into the collapse of the I-35W bridge has taken a step forward. Investigators have discovered that the southern end of the bridge shifted 50 feet to the east while the rest of it fell in place. Officials say that fact appears significant, but they're also cautioning that there is still much work left before they know the cause of the collapse. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.
August 4, 2007 - Divers continued searching the Mississippi River today for victims of Wedneday's bridge collapse. The divers' work took place in treacherous conditions amid the rubble of the former bridge. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil has the latest on the search.
August 6, 2007 - The wife of construction worker Greg Jolstad says she presumes her husband did not survive the fall of the Interstate 35W Bridge because she has not heard from him since the bridge collapsed last Wednesday. Lisa Jolstad says her husband was a homebody who loved gardening, sports and simple pleasures like grilling in the backyard with his family. Lisa Jolstad visited the Mississippi River accident site Saturday along with other victims' families. She says the visit helped her cope with the frustration of waiting for divers to recover his body. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports.
August 6, 2007 - The Minnesota Department of Transportation is placing the process to rebuild the 35W bridge on an extremely fast track. MnDOT officials hope to open a new bridge by the end of next year. They want contractors interested in the job to contact them within the next few days. As they make plans to rebuild, state officials may be looking to incidents in other states for guidelines. Back in April, you might remember news of another interstate freeway collapse in California. When a tanker truck crashed and caught fire in a vital bay area interchange the heat caused the collapse of a stretch of Interstate 580 onto the highway below. Will Kempton is the director of Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation. He says that stretch of freeway was rebuilt well ahead of schedule.
August 7, 2007 - The push to rebuild the I-35W bridge is on the "fastest of fast tracks" with the hopes that the new bridge will be built by the end of next year. Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation are accepting applications from companies that intend to bid on the job, through tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
August 7, 2007 - Designers and builders face a Wednesday morning deadline to show they're qualified to bid on the 35W bridge replacement project. State transportation officials have put the project on a fast track. They plan to award contracts next month, with the goal of having a new bridge standing at the end of 2008. Bob McFarlin, assistant to state transportation commissioner Carol Molnau, says the design of a new bridge has not yet been determined. But he says advanced engineering and technology will be included.
August 8, 2007 - A bridge is thousands of pieces of metal and concrete. It's built to withstand all manner of weather and stress. And most bridges do exactly that. The Brooklyn Bridge has been carrying traffic for over 120 years, the Golden Gate Bridge for 70. So why did this bridge, the 35W collapse? Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura has more.
August 10, 2007 - Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation will meet today with the five contractors that have been selected as finalists for the I-35W bridge rebuild. The five contractors have worked on some of the largest projects in the nation. Those projects include bridges in California, Florida and Denver. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
August 10, 2007 - Can Minnesota afford the upkeep of roads and bridges? Broadcast: Midday, 08/10/2007, 11:00 a.m. With the wreckage of the I-35W bridge still slumped in the Mississippi River, options for rebuilding are beginning to surface. State and federal government now must deal with questions about the eroding state of our bridges and highways and how we pay for the upkeep of our infrastructure. Guest: Tim Penny: senior fellow, Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.