~ Governor Pawlenty’s Director of Communications, Brian McClung, statement regarding the Gray Plant Mooty report to the legislature ~

Saint Paul – The following is a statement from Governor Pawlenty’s Director of Communications, Brian McClung, regarding the Gray Plant Mooty report to the legislature.

“We appreciate the legislature’s interest in understanding issues regarding bridge safety and maintenance in Minnesota. Governor Pawlenty has directed MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel to thoroughly examine the recommendations of this report and consult with his staff regarding possible improvements in organization, process, procedures and communications. The Governor has asked the Commissioner to report back to him promptly with his recommended improvements.

“We should keep in mind that the National Transportation Safety Board is continuing their investigation regarding the cause of the I-35W bridge collapse. The report issued today looks at the internal procedures and organizational structure of MnDOT. However, until the cause of the collapse is determined, it is not possible to know whether anything in this report is relevant to the bridge collapse.

“While some of the discussion today focused on maintenance and inspections related to the bridge, the NTSB noted in January that their preliminary work points toward the original design of undersized gusset plates as a leading theory related to the collapse of the bridge. The NTSB also said that bridge inspections would not have identified the error in the design of the gusset plates.”