Thursday, August 02, 2007

URS says it advised retrofit on Minneapolis bridge

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Engineering and construction company URS Corp said on Thursday it had recommended in a 2006 draft report that the I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis be retrofitted to "eliminate the possibility of a member fracture."

The company said in a statement it had not been involved in recent work on the bridge, which collapsed on Wednesday during rush-hour traffic, killing at least four commuters and injuring scores more. A recovery operation is underway.....


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URS Statement on I-35 West Bridge

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--URS Corporation (NYSE: URS) today issued the following statement regarding the I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis.

URS was retained in December 2003 to begin work in 2004 on conducting an engineering analysis of the I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis. URS delivered a draft report in June 2006 to the Minnesota Department of Transportation which included recommendations including retrofit measures to add redundancy and eliminate the possibility of a member fracture. The company also recommended further detailed inspections. A supplemental draft report in January 2007 expanded on aspects of the initial report.

URS has not been involved in any of the recent work being performed on the bridge, nor was the recent work related to the company’s recommendations. URS is prepared to provide all necessary resources to assist as needed in the investigation of the bridge collapse.......

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