Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse happened 18 years ago Friday
Aerial video of the I-35W bridge collapse in 2007. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Interstate 35W bridge collapse occurred 18 years ago Friday, sparking changes in bridge infrastructure in Minnesota.
I-35W bridge collapse
The backstory:
On Aug. 1, 2007, one of the busiest bridges in Minnesota, the I-35W bridge, collapsed without warning during rush hour.
The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145 others. First responders worked to rescue survivors, which included a school bus carrying 52 students and several adults. Divers from the Navy spent weeks recovering bodies from the river.
A replacement bridge opened 14 months after the collapse.
Ultimately, the state and two contractors paid more than $100 million to survivors and the families of those who passed in the tragedy.
Federal investigators deemed the main cause of the collapse to be a defect in the bridge's design. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that the crucial gusset plates that held the bridge's beams together were half as thick as they should have been.
Another contributing factor was nearly 300 tons of construction materials stored on the deck for renovations.
Before the collapse, the bridge was rated "structurally deficient." It was also deemed "fracture critical," meaning that the bridge was at risk of collapse if a single vital component failed.
Memorial for bridge collapse victims
Local perspective:
A memorial for the victims who passed away in the bridge collapse opened in 2011.
The memorial, named the Remembrance Garden, is located in Minneapolis. It has 13 steel columns for the 13 victims who died in the collapse.
The Source: Past FOX 9 reporting.