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An Army Corps of Engineers' crane barge assists in recovery efforts. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. |
August 8, 2007 • Cleanup began this week following the Aug. 1 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minn., that left five dead and another eight missing. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) will lead the effort to remove debris from the collapse site and the Mississippi River, but continues to work cooperatively with local fire, police, State Patrol and other agencies on recovery efforts.
Carl Bolander & Sons, a contractor based in St. Paul, Minn., has been awarded the contract to remove the debris from the site. The company began moving equipment to the site on Aug. 6. The actual removal efforts are expected to begin this week. The company will use four cranes in the cleanup effort: one on each side of the river, one on a barge in the river and one at an unloading site. A representative answering the phone at Carl Bolander & Sons said she had been instructed to refer all media questions to Mn/DOT.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, has been active in the recovery efforts since the day of the bridge collapse. The Corps brought a crane barge with seven employees onto the river on Aug. 4 to assist with the recovery efforts. The 100-ton crane barge is assisting with moving and shifting cars in the river so that divers can maneuver in their search for victims, according to Mark Davidson, chief of public affairs for the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps has also lowered the level of the water to help in recovery efforts.
The debris removal process is expected to be a slow, tedious operation, according to Mn/DOT's website. The National Transportation Safety Board continues to lead the investigation into the causes of the bridge collapse, and will advise about what should happen to the debris as it is removed so it can be evaluated. Debris removal efforts will be sensitive to the integrity of the site until all missing persons are accounted for. Initial efforts will be to remove the debris from the land and then focus on clearing the channel. The cost of the operations is expected to be about $15 million.
