SGER: Damage Investigation and Data Collection for Collapsed I-35W Bridge

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This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) project will send an investigation team to the site of the bridge carrying Interstate Highway 35W (I-35W) over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota which collapsed on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, in the main span within a matter of seconds while carrying rush hour traffic. The collapse of a highway bridge in a major downtown area is expected to have tremendous consequences to our society. The tasks are to collect photographic data and to procure perishable material.The results from the project will provide engineers with valuable data to conduct more detailed studies in the coming years. This SGER project is a crucial step towards identifying the causes of the I-35W Bridge collapse, and to assure the society that measures will be taken to substantially reduce the risk that such a tragedy will be repeated. The project addresses a major and immediate problem that the U.S. society currently faces. This project is an important step for researchers in the Civil Engineering field to reassess the safety and reliability of bridges in the U.S. and to thereby regain the trust of society. Considering the important role that bridges play in the economy and daily life of the national population, and considering the substantial public distress caused by the tragedy, the objectives of the research are crucial to the well-being of our society. The PIs will make their best effort to convey the findings from this research widely to the engineering community, and to integrate the findings to educate the next generation of engineers.