Investigative Report to Joint Committee to Investigate the I-35W Bridge Collapse. Appendix: Volume Four

摘要

Lives were shattered by the collapse of the I-35W Bridge. So, too, was confidence in the safety of Minnesota's bridges. The National Transportation Safety Board immediately began an investigation of the technical reason for the Bridge's collapse. Equally necessary, the Minnesota Legislature sought to determine whether the collapse might be related to a policy or practice that the Legislature could address and, by doing so, avert future tragedies. The Legislature retained the law firm of Gray Plant Mooty to conduct an independent investigation on its behalf. Evidence was gathered through extensive document review and by interviewing current and former governors, transportation commissioners and Minnesota Department of Transportation ('MnDOT') employees as well as others with relevant knowledge. We drew six conclusions from our analysis of the evidence. Evidence illustrating these conclusions is presented in the form of nine Investigative Summaries.