The tragic collapse of the 35W bridge, which killed 13 people and caused numerous injuries, has been investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board over the past year since it happened, and yesterday the board made statements regarding the cause of the accident.

Their findings concluded inadequate design in the bridge's gusset plates, which were too small to sufficiently bare the weight the bridge held. This was overlooked in the routine inspections of the bridge, which was built over 40 years ago. When the bridge gave out, it was holding nearly 300 tons of construction equipment being used to fix the roadways. The NTSB stated in a testimony yesterday that, had the bridge had the proper gusset plates, "the accident would not have occurred".

The new 35W bridge was completed in September. I've expressed concern about the speed at which the new bridge was built, and I dearly hope that nothing has been overlooked in the design because this cannot happen again.

Check the gussets! Everyone go home and check your gussets and make sure they're big enough. Can your gussets properly handle large loads? Please make sure your gussets are up to standard.