Bridge collapse

Wednesday’s collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis created a frightening scene, particularly for a nation still haunted by the images of 9/11.

No evidence suggests the tragedy resulted from a terrorist attack, a fact that offers little consolation to the families of those unfortunate few killed during their evening commute. It’s no coincidence, however, that reports from Minnesota already resemble those from another recent national disaster: Hurricane Katrina.

Emergency response times certainly weren’t an issue in Minneapolis. And the Bush administration clearly has learned from its aloof reaction to the flooding of New Orleans; the president intends to visit the bridge site today.

But when infrastructure fails and people die, there inevitably is a rush to judgment. Someone must be blamed, sending bureaucrats scrambling to cover their rears.

The finger-pointing in Minnesota started Thursday, less than 24 hours after the 40-year-old bridge collapsed, when it was revealed that a report found the bridge “structurally deficient” — two years ago. Federal transportation officials said the span rated 50 on a scale of 100 for structural stability, meaning some portions of the bridge needed to be scheduled for repair or replacement.

“It didn’t mean that the bridge is unsafe,” Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said.

To which White House press secretary Tony Snow added: “If an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions.”

Which put Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on the defense: “There was no call by anyone that we’re aware of that said it should be immediately closed or immediately replaced. It was more of a monitor, inspect, maintain and potentially replace it in the future.” He ordered inspections of all state bridges of similar design.

Several other states responded by ordering reviews of their own spans. Then the federal government ordered all states to conduct inspections on similar steel-arched bridges.

Can everyone take a deep breath here? Can Minnesota and federal officials actually find out what happened before millions of dollars are spent on unnecessary surveys? Before Congress embarks on an unneeded, pork-barrel spending spree?

“It is clearly much too early in the initial stages of this investigation to have any idea what happened,” National Transportation Safety Board Chair Mark Rosenker said.

Exactly. Real accountability requires hard facts. Let’s see what a few dozen investigators can find out.