451 Minnesota Bridges Functionally Obsolete

Conrad deFiebre, who covered transportation for many years, has the figures on the safety status of Minnesota bridges.

The Interstate Hwy. 35W bridge that tragically collapsed into the Mississippi River Wednesday evening was one of 1,135 road spans in Minnesota rated as “structurally deficient” by the federal government.

That’s 8.7 percent of the state’s 13,008 bridges, 20 feet or longer, that are subject to annual inspections. Another 451 spans are considered “functionally obsolete.” Included in the total are 65 bridges that are more than a century old.

Full story from Minnesota 2020 here

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty says there are three bridges in Minnesota that of the same design as the I-35W bridge that collapsed (click to see maps)
Highway 23 in St. Cloud
Highway 123 in Sandstone
Highway 243 in Osceola

Governor Pawlenty says those bridges will be inspected immediately. He says all bridges in Minnesota that fall into the "structurally deficient" category will be inspected as soon as possible.