Publications [#268192] of Henry Petroski

Papers Published

1. Petroski, H, The minneapolis bridge, American Scientist, vol. 97 no. 6 (January, 2009), pp. 444-448, Sigma Xi, ISSN 0003-0996 [doi]
   (last updated on 2023/06/01)

   Abstract:
   The I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed on August 1, 2007, creating the need for a replacement bridge immediately. Ten weeks after the disaster, the Minnesota Department of Transportation chose Flatiron Construction of Colorado and Manson Construction of Florida, to construct the new bridge. The design presented by the team was of the concrete box-girder type, which would be erected by the balanced-cantilever method. Sections of the bridge would be attached to its mate with international epoxy adhesives and then pulled tight with interior steel cables that would tie all the sections together. Additional engineering considerations for the new bridge involved the use of smart bridge technology. Investigations into the causes of the collapse of the original I-35W bridge continued all the while during the construction of the new bridge. Although no unquestionable cause was identified, the buckling of insufficiently thick gusset plates was thought to have contributed to this disaster.