Journalism 101

Brent over at Anti-Strib points us to an investigative report that recently ran on Channel 9 News. This report digs into a lawsuit that was filed during the construction of the OLD 35W bridge - and sheds some light on a possible cause of collapse!

The lawsuit - filed by the first contractor Hur-Con against what was then the Highway Department - was for more money to cover extra drilling costs. It seems that Hur-Con (the contractor) ran into a problem with the location for Pier 6. As they were drilling core samples, they found granite and limestone boulders that needed to be removed in order to get to the bedrock below. However, the Army Corps of Engineers would not allow the contractors to do the blasting that was necessary to remove the boulders due to the pier's proximity to the lock and dam. Instead of removing the boulders, it appears that Pier 6 was built on or around the boulders (the documentation is incomplete from that era). What makes this information so important? Pier 6 is on the south bank of the river....the very place where investigators believe the fateful collapse may have begun!

Why is this investigation important? It is important because it showcases how our DFL led legislature is more concerned about headhunting for Lt. Governor Carol Molnau than they are about getting to the real answers behind the collapse. They are more interested in playing politics than they are about doing the peoples business.

Brent is absolutely correct when he states:

The lawsuit was settled out of court, and the documents that would shed light on
what was done to address the problem are either missing or incomplete…meaning
that it is entirely possible that pier 6, and maybe even pier 7, are resting not
of bedrock as needed for a stable structure, but rather on granite boulders. If
this is indeed the situation, no amount of funding and no amount of spending today could have stopped the bridge from falling…and it certainly isn’t Carol Molnau’s fault.

Emphasis mine. Lt. Gov. Molnau was NOT MN DOT commissioner back in 1964, when this bridge was built. Just an FYI to Senator Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing).

It is nice to know that the Cities have one local media outlet that is willing to investigate reality - not witch hunts. Kudos to Fox 9 and Tom Lyden for a well researched report. That is what journalism is all about!