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Article: Was Ohio bridge scare a warning? When gusset plates caused a near-disaster in 1996, it didn't trigger a nationwide alert.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- May 12, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: TONY KENNEDY; MIKE KASZUBA; STAFF WRITERS
When the Interstate 90 bridge over Ohio's Grand River buckled and nearly collapsed 12 years ago, painters under the deck scrambled for stable ground and highway officials ordered a shutdown that lasted through five months of repairs.
Investigators determined what was then a unique cause for the failure: Undersized and corroded gusset plates that were too thin to withstand an unusual load of construction vehicles and heavy equipment parked on the bridge that day.
With those factors eerily similar to preliminary findings in the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, victims and others are now ...