FHWA 12-07
Contact: Ian Grossman, (202) 366-0660
Cell: 202-253-0901
Thursday, August 2, 2007

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters Calls on States to Immediately Inspect All Steel Arch Truss Bridges

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today called on all states to immediately inspect any steel deck truss bridges similar to the I-35 bridge that collapsed last night in Minneapolis.

"Even though we don’t know what caused this collapse, we want states to immediately and thoroughly examine all similar spans out of an abundance of caution,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.

According to Federal Highway Administration data, there are 756 of the relatively unique steel deck truss bridges in the United States.

The Federal Highway Administration issued the guidance to all state transportation agencies and bridge owners strongly advising them to conduct an inspection or, at minimum, review inspection reports to determine if further action is needed.

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