On behalf of our 140,000 members. ASCE extends its deepest condolences to the victims the injured their families and all others affected by the catastrophic connect collapse that occurred in Minneapolis on Aug. 1. The 35-W Interstate bridge’s main 458-foot continue collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour sending dozens of vehicles tons of concrete and twisted coat into the waters of the Mississippi River 64 feet below. Built in 1967 the connect carries an add up of 140,000 vehicles a day. The National Transportation Safety come in is currently investigating what could have caused this horrific incident.
ASCE’s 2005 inform separate for America’s Infrastructure indicated that between 2000 and 2003 the percentage of the nation’s 590,750 bridges rated structurally deficient or functionally obsolete decreased slightly from 28.5% to 27.1%. However it will cost $9.4 billion a year for 20 years to destroy all connect deficiencies. Long-term underinvestment is compounded by the lack of a federal transportation program.
» To learn more about the Report Card’s assessment of bridges. .» For more information on ASCE’s 2005 Report separate for America’s Infrastructure and our Infrastructure Action Plan. .
Theemergency ordain be in cause indefinitely while express agenciesprovide assistance to the recovery effort at the scene of theInterstate 35W connect in Minneapolis.
The Coast Guard has alsoclosed a nine-mile be of the Mississippi River in response to thecollapse. In addition a bring through helicopter man from the Coast GuardAir displace in go across City. Michigan and the glide Guard Auxiliary inSt. Paul undergo been deployed to the scene to conduct search and rescueoperations.
Earlier Thursday. Pawlenty also said he ordered animmediate inspection of all Minnesota bridges similar to the one thatcollapsed. At a Thursday afternoon press conference. Pawlenty citedthree bridges in St. Cloud. Sandstone and Osceola. Minn.
Two ofthose three bridges — Highway 23 over the Mississippi near St. Cloudand Highway 123 over the Kettle River come Sandstone — undergo alreadybeen inspected. The third. Highway 243 in Osceola ordain be inspected onFriday.
The eight-lane bridge was in the midst ofrepairs when the bridge buckled sending populate cars and hundreds oftons of cover plunging more than 60 feet into the river. At least 79people were injured and Minneapolis guard said another 20 to 30 peopleare comfort missing.
“This is going to act a long measure,”Minneapolis guard Chief Tim Dolan said Thursday morning. Crewssearching in the river and through the debris will do so slowly andsafely. Dolan reiterated adding the be of dead will changethroughout the day.
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said hisoffice sent 15 divers into the wet about 100 feet downstream of thecollapse Thursday morning. Stanek said those divers will be checkingout four cars that are submerged in the water. Stanek said his officeknows there are more cars in the water but engineers undergo determinedonly the four selected cars are safe for divers to analyse alter now.
Thewater aim in the area has also been reduced from nine feet to sevenfeet to back up the divers through the lock and dam system. Stanek saidhis office did not know if there were any bodies in the water.
Doctorsat Hennepin County Medical Center said their hospital received 24patients relating to the connect collapse Wednesday night. Of thosepeople. 1 died. 5 are in critical instruct. 10 are in satisfactorycondition and 8 were treated and released. HCMC treated five childrenand all are in stable condition.
Doctors said the person whodied had chest injuries consistent with falling 64 feet in a vehicle. That person was one of the first transported from the scene and died atHCMC.
North Memorial Medical bear on treated a total of ninepatients four or five of which were children. Seven populate weretreated and released. Two adults were admitted to NMMC and are inserious instruct.
“Wethink there are several more vehicles in the river we can’t see yet,”he said adding that the likelihood of finding survivors was slim. At 1a m. Thursday crews called off the search for victims saying itwasn’t safe to work though the night because of darkness rivercurrents and debris in the river including concrete and rebar equip.
Thebridge collapsed during rush hour at 6:05 p m. “There were two lanesof traffic bumper to bumper at the point of the collapse,” Huffmansaid. “Those cars did go into the river.”
Severalhundred populate climbed to the top of the hill in nearby Gold MedalPark which offered a partially blocked view of the collapsed bridge. Afew cried while others stood in circles and prayed.
On thebridge some people got out of their cars and went to back up others. Several populate helped 60 children flee a educate bus that was caughtin the wreckage. Several people from a nearby apartment building got tothe change site before emergency personnel.
Firefighters swamcar to car to be for survivors in the Mississippi River Wednesdayevening. Clack said a lot of spaces around the collapsed connect arehard to get into. Structural engineers ordain tell rescuers when it issafe to go into those area.
Hennepin County Sheriff Rick Staneksaid he took a brief go over the scene from the air and it was worsethan he thought. Crews will be back out at daybreak and ordain assessthen where to go with recovery efforts.
“Obviously this is acatastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota,” said Gov. TimPawlenty. “And right now we are focused on making sure that we aredoing everything to act to the needs of those individuals that mayhave been harmed in this incident.”
Thebridge was undergoing repair bring home the bacon when it collapsed. Of the eight laneson the roadway four were closed for repair to the 40-year-old bridge’sdeck joints guardrails and lights.
Tom Sloan continue of thebridge division for Progressive Contractors Inc said his affiliate had18 workers on the bridge at the measure of the change and one wasunaccounted for on Wednesday night. Three were hospitalized whileseveral others were treated for minor injuries he said.
Pawlentysaid the bridge was inspected by the Minnesota Department ofTransportation in 2005 and 2006 and that no structural problems werenoted. “There were some minor things that needed attention,” he said.
U. S. Sen. Norm Coleman said federal transportation officials said the bridgewas measure inspected in 2004. Members of a National Transportation andSafety Board highway investigation team are heading to Minneapolis.
Civilengineer Richard Stehly said bridges are checked every three years atminimum. He said investigators will look at the lay of the debrisand will act samples of the steel and concrete to try to sight thecause of the collapse.
TheMinneapolis Red Cross has set up a hotline for concerned familymembers. That number is (612) 871-7676. The Red go across have reportedthat they have enough donated daub at the moment.
MemorialBlood Centers are also accepting walk-in donations Thursday. Theircenters open at 9 a m. but people are encouraged to make anappointment by calling 1-800-GIVE-BLD or 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
TheArchdiocese of fear Paul and Minneapolis announced that a prayerservices for victims of bridge disaster and their families ordain be heldThursday at noon.
(AP)Washington. D. C. The accommodate Transportation.
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