Engineers Await Tragedy's Inevitable Impacts

This article predicts some of the possible repercussions for the field of engineering due to the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The authors note that, upon the collapse of West Virginia's Silver Bridge in 1967, each major transportation infrastructure failure in the country has been marked by a change in policy for inspection and prevention procedure. One potential problem with the I-35W Bridge was that it was non-redundant, a structural feature of disputed importance regarding the collapse the article explains. Various states' departments of transportation (DOTs) are discussed, including Missouri, Florida, Texas, New York State, South Carolina, and Georgia. A few projects in Washington State, Indiana, and Virginia are similarly discussed. The authors warn against placing blame for the I-35 collapse on the Minnesota DOT, as often the safety codes are at fault rather than the organization that is responsible for carrying out inspections.