Bridge Collapse: Litigation Begins

Many victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse are getting ready to sue the State, companies involved with bridge repair and oversight, and the City of Minneapolis.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080122/ap_on_re_us/bridge_collapse_legal

State Releases Ratings on 313 Bridges

The Star Trib has a link on their website to a listing containg 313 bridge sufficiency ratings. While none in our immediate area are included in the report, it is interesting to search by county and see the ratings for several bridges in Carver and Hennepin counties that many of us likely use often. The most concerning one to me: the Highway 41 bridge as it crosses the Minnesota River in Chaska. This bridge built in the 50's has a structural sufficiency rating of 38%, or roughly the bottom 5% of all bridges on this list.

I'll keep an eye out for ratings on area bridges. The ones I can think of, Minnetonka Blvd over St. Albans Bay in Excelsior or Carson Bay in Lake Minnetonka are both very new, as are the Bridges over Grays Bay on Hwy 101 or the Hwy 19 Bridge over the Narrows.