Photographs of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., show that two steel connecting plates were visibly bent as early as 2003—four years before the span collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people.
The photos reveal bends in the two gusset plates, which hold beams together and were in areas thought to be among the first points of failure in the collapse.
Officials from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board declined to comment on the photographs. However, Mark V. Rosenker, the chairman of the safety board, said the original design specified steel too thin for the gusset plates.
Under capitalism, private contractors short-change safety to maximize profits, while governments underfund maintenance to prioritize other needs of the capitalist class. Only under socialism can such disasters be avoided.
