Governor directs state to evaluate bridge safety

The state has begun looking for bridges of similar design to the Minneapolis bridge; so far, one has been confirmed, and officials are inspecting it today. That bridge was built in the 1930s and is part of Highway 5 that spans the Osage Arm at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Also under Blunt’s direction, officials at the Missouri Information Analysis Center contacted Minnesota officials to determine any effect the bridge’s collapse could have on the Mississippi River and Missouri’s shoreline. The center says lock systems in northern states are expected to catch any debris from the collapse, and the incident is not expected to endanger the river.