I-35 Bridge report - Research Paper Example

Finally, the report also focuses on the rehabilitation “of the I-35W Bridge” and practices that have been adopted in the construction and maintenance of bridges. It shows how various organizations in fire and emergence, law enforcement and environmental monitoring, can reduce the impact of a possible tragedy like that of the collapse of I-35W Bridge to cause minimal loss of lives and property. Table of contents 1. Introduction 2. I-35W bridge maintenance and construction 3. Emergency Assistance after the Collapsed Bridge 4.

Impact “of the I-35W Bridge Collapse on the Current Practices” 5. Conclusion 1) Introduction The 35W Mississippi River Bridge maintained by state of Minnesota, collapsed on the evening of 1st of August 2007, killing thirteen people and injuring another 121 people. Unfortunately, there were approximately 120 vehicles during the collapse estimated to be carrying 160 people. This collapse was unexpected and the immediate task at that moment, was to rescue the people in the bridge, some of whom had fallen into the water and others trapped in their vehicles.

To add insult to injury, some of the vehicles had caught fire making firefighting to be the first priority action. All local officials from the state after training together, worked together in stopping the fire, rescuing people in the water and rushing all the injured to hospitals. Definitely, this event was a test of their ability to successful tackle such a tragedy. However, there were many challenges and hindrances due to the steep river banks, difficulty of access due to the already collapsed bridge and other constant risks (Rabins et al 188). 2) I-35W Bridge Maintenance and Construction I-35W Bridge across the Mississippi River was official opened to traffic in the year 1967.

According to Rabins et al, the bridge had a capacity of up to 140,000 daily vehicles on traffic between the Washington Avenue and the University Avenue, and was inspected every year from the year 1993 (236). The bridge was rated at 4 on a scale of 0 to 9 showing that, it was fit for transportation although there was need for monitoring and repair. Despite the bridge being rated as deficient, it did not definitely imply that it would collapse at any time, but there was a need for maintenance. According to the book “Bridge management systems for transportation agency decision making” the resolution made was to invest more resource in bridge maintenance to prevent such occurrences in the future. 3) Emergency Assistance after the Collapsed Bridge The U.

S Fire Administration says that, there was a chaotic event after the responders arrived at the scene of the collapsed bridge (24). The collapsed structure brought various casualties such as people trapped in their vehicle and in the bridge debris; the injured and the dead people at the scene; the fire from some vehicles and water rescue situations. In addition to that, these respondents were not sure of the cause of the tragedy. They did not know whether it was a terror attack or an infrastructure failure.

There was greater risk of a secondary collapse of the bridge, which could worsen the tragedy and paralyze rescue operations. As a result of these risks, the first priority was the fire department to stop the fire. At the same time, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was responsible of rescuing