Today I read an article by Tony Kennedy on startribune.com. This article was about how the designers of the old bridge did not calculate the size of the gusset plates that eventually caused the bridge to collapse. Gusset plates on the old bridge were only one-half inch thick and the design called for 1 inch gusset plates. This is just poor human error and could have been prevented if the designer took some time to measure the thickness of the plates. Investigators found records that the designers knew how to calculate the width of the gusset plates but failed to do so on the center-portion of the bridge that collapsed. In the future I hope designers will take the time to look over their design and make sure its bullet-proof. The bridge should be checked over many times and inspectors should conduct weight tests to make sure the bridge is safe. I'm glad that this bridge design will never be used again because of all the flaws it has and I hope better and safer bridges will be built in the future.
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