NTSB Says Weight Was on Weak Points of Minneapolis I-35W Bridge

More than 191 tons of construction material was piled over the weakest areas of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis shortly before it collapsed into the Mississippi River last August, according to an ongoing federal investigation, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
 
Rock and sand used in resurfacing the bridge were placed over steel gusset plates and connectors joining bridge beams were thinner than they should have been, the National Transportation Safety Board said in an update to its investigation, AP said.

The Aug. 1 collapse near downtown Minneapolis killed 13 people and injured 145. The NTSB said it expects to produce its final report on the cause of the collapse by the end of the year.

The NTSB had previously cited the too-thin gusset plates and construction project weights as factors in the collapse, but Monday's update included drawings and tables that pinpointed the locations of those heavy loads on the structure, AP reported.

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