CMGT 4315: Assignment #8
I-35 Bridge Collapse: The Last Snow”ake
On the evening of August 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W Mississippi River bridge (Na!onal
Bridge Inventory structure no. 9340) in Minneapolis su*ered a catastrophic failure killing 13
people and injuring 145 others. While the collapse was a result of poor design, inadequate
preventa!ve measures contributed to aver!ng this fatal disaster (Na!onal).
The bridge design by the engineering consul!ng firm Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates,
Inc. took several years with plans for the founda!on approved in 1964 and final design plans
approved by Minnesota Department of Transporta!on (Mn/DOT) in 1965. Construc!on began in
1964 by Hurcon, Inc., and the eight lane wide, 1,907 foot long structure was opened to the
public in 1967 (Na!onal).
