Posted on 08/03/2007 5:58:08 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Politicians trying to account for one of the worst bridge collapses in U.S. history cast blame ranging from engineering faults to the Iraq war on Friday, while divers tried to reach the bodies of more victims in the Mississippi River's treacherous waters.
As investigators probed Wednesday's collapse that killed at least five people, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said outside experts would review the decisions of state engineers to shore up problems with the heavily-traveled 40-year-old bridge in central Minneapolis.
Engineers had decided to periodically inspect the steel superstructure beneath the Interstate 35W bridge and bolt on reinforcing plates where any flaws were found. But that work, which Pawlenty said fit in the state's budget, was postponed by resurfacing and repair work that was going on when the bridge buckled and fell.
"Experts that we rely on, technical experts and engineers, made some decisions about what needed to be done. They thought they were making an appropriate decision for their reasons, and now those decisions will have to be reviewed," Pawlenty said. A private engineering firm had been hired for the review.
"The bridge was declared fit for service," he said. "There will be tough questions asked, including by me, and we will get to the bottom of this."
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, suggested Bush administration spending on the Iraq war may have crimped funding for domestic projects such as road and bridge construction, and for such infrastructure projects as new levees for New Orleans.
"We've spent $500 billion in Iraq and we have bridges falling down in this country," Klobuchar told MSNBC. "I see a connection between messed-up priorities."
Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said billions of dollars were available for road and bridge repairs.
The bridge was a vital link over the Mississippi River and the most heavily used bridge in Minnesota with roughly 140,000 vehicles passing over each day.
"It is striking the bridge was carrying a load of traffic it was not designed for," said the Democratic Speaker of Minnesota's House, State Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher.
Estimates ranged as high as $500 million to rebuild it.
Visiting first lady Laura Bush praised the city's response: "We've seen the strength of your community, and because of that we're confident the bridge will be rebuilt and your city will heal."
President George W. Bush is scheduled to tour the scene on Saturday.
Pawlenty said a special legislative session may be in the offing to address funding to rebuild the bridge. Pawlenty's critics blamed him for vetoing a state gas-tax increase that would have boosted funding for construction projects.
Meanwhile, rescuers spent an entire day extracting the fifth fatality from under mounds of debris, Minneapolis Fire Chief Jim Clack said. He said more victims were certain to be found.
Divers searched submerged cars that tumbled 65 feet (20 meters) into the Mississippi River when the bridge collapsed with a roar.
"This is very dangerous work because the divers can get caught in the debris, some of which is razor-sharp," Clack said.
Divers battled swift currents, and had to feel their way in the muddy waters around twisted steel and chunks of concrete.
"You got gas in there, oil. Besides, the Mississippi River is not the cleanest place. You didn't have any visibility, you just felt," Minneapolis Fire Department diver Raoul Raymose said on CBS' "Early Show."
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek cautioned that his estimate of eight people still missing was "fluid" and subject to change.
Twenty-four of the nearly 100 people injured in the disaster remained in hospitals, including five who were in critical condition, a hospital spokesman said.
(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington)
"We've spent $500 billion in Iraq and we have bridges falling down in this country," Klobuchar told MSNBC. "I see a connection between messed-up priorities."
Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said billions of dollars were available for road and bridge repairs.
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Amy, I guess Minnesota has its share of Moonbats. I am just surprised how incredibly dense you are compared to some. The thought of you and Franken representing the state is a sad one to ponder, God help those who have to listen to your drivel and mean-spirited crap.
Wait....it’s all the fault of Katrina. You all up North sent good dollars to a sink hole in Louisana when you should have been fixing bridges. FEMA needs to take responsibility.
I see a connection between your head and your....oops....Bill O'Reilly might be monitoring my comments for hate speech so I better not say I see a connection between her head and her ass.
Dang! That was an accident, Bill. Honest. I meant to say her head and her elbow.
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Would be interesting to see what she earmarked. Just to get a glimps of her "priorities".
Oh my, a gal in that pic looks an awful lot like a niece of mine (or maybe not). Thanks for posting!
Congressman Billybob
Who's got messed up priorities Amy you socialist gas bag....
The coverage of this story is one more reason to despise the MSM.
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Anything to keep the MSM from covering the surge and its successes in Iraq.
$800 million on light rail. How much more for that new Twins Stadium?
Who’s got messed up priorities Amy you socialist gas bag....
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Have you met Terriergal?
The comments about light rail and a stadium sound awful familiar. :-)
Nope. Not that I remember at least. If I've forgotten, my apologies.
States get money for roads and bridges and do they spend them on infracture that needs it the most — usually not as they have other pet projects they would rather spend money on like roads to and from a new stadium.
I blame it on Congress for the way they appropriate the money and on State Government for the way they waste the money they do get on roads and bridges.
OK has some of the worst roads and bridges in the nation but we spend 65% of the budget on education to have some of the worst inner city and rural schools. With the except of suburban schools like Norman, Moore, Jenks, Broken Arrow and a few others, the schools here are not very good but they keep pouring money after bad.
Doubt if our state government is very different then the rest.
No problem, She had similar comments last night as well.
I am a native Minnesotan now in California for close to 30 years. I remember the old Met and the Twin Cities before it boomed to beat the band.
I propose the bridge collapse began in 1964...with the “Great Society” programs of LBJ...though perhaps sooner with the “New Frontier” programs of JFK. This is when then federal government oversaw the following programs...Civil Rights, War on Poverty, Education, Medicare, Medicaid, Public Broadcasting, Consumer protection and the start of Environmentalism.... While the need for Civil Rights was necessary at the time and was constitutional none of the other programs met the test. The reason we don’t have money now for basic infrastructure is that it has been, and will be continue to be spent, on social (read socialism) type programs. We are becoming a socialist country and it started over 40 years ago.
I would agree that what we are witnessing is not just another localized event as past history would readily reflect.
I would also hope a lot of state officials are doing some serious soul searching as a result of this structural failure.. Public safety is and always should be Job #1.
Somewhere else I read that birdshit could have been the cause of the bridge collapse. Heap enough birdshit on any structure and it will collapse, I guarantee.
I saw that earlier, not sure about the number of nests , perches etc, but at this point, nothing ought to not be considered, we owe the victims that much.
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