InfraStructures - November 2010 - Whitewashed: Five Important Truths Behind the I-35W Bridge NTSB Report

Whitewashed: Five Important Truths
Behind the I-35W Bridge NTSB Report

Though it fell three years ago, questions still remain about the exact causes of the I-35W Bridge collapse. Unfortunately, says author Barry LePatner, the NTSB report issued after the collapse did little to provide real answers for the Minnesota public.

On August 1, 2007, the I-35W Bridge collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 people, injuring 145, and bringing massive economic disruption to the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The November 2008 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, which followed fifteen months of investigation, advised the public and transportation officials around the country that the bridge collapse was a one-time occurrence, caused by a simple design error that had gone undetected at the time of construction.

In short, the collapse was a one-off from which no lessons could be learned to avoid future failures. Barry LePatner says that just is not true. He suggests the NTSB report whitewashed the true causes of the bridge collapse, and he stresses the need for reform in the way we fund and maintain the nation's infrastructure.

“NTSB's final report tellingly ignored a host of critical factors that were not disclosed to the public or other state bridge operators, which sadly delegitimized the efficacy of the report,” says Mr. LePatner, author of the new book Too Big to Fall: America's Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward. "A careful analysis of the NTSB report shows that it masked far more than it revealed about how the bridge was maintained, funded, and operated."

Barry B. LePatner is founder of the New York City-based law firm LePatner & Associates LLP. For three decades, he has been prominent as an advisor on business and legal issues affecting the real estate, design, and construction industries. He is recognized as one of the nation's leading advisors to corporate and institutional clients, real estate owners, and design professionals.

Too Big to Fall: America's Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward (University Press of New England, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-9844978-0-5. www.TooBigToFall.com