From Tragedy to Triumph

The world held its collective breath during rush hour, August 1, 2007, as Minnesota's Bridge #9340 buckled, then collapsed into the mighty Mississippi River 64 feet below. More than a hundred vehicles were trapped on the I-35W Bridge as it tumbled into the water, submerging 17 cars and stranding many others. In the end, thirteen people, 8 men and 5 women, died and 145 were injured. As catastrophic as the bridge failure was, and tragic in loss of life, it became immediately apparent...
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The world held its collective breath during rush hour, August 1, 2007, as Minnesota's Bridge #9340 buckled, then collapsed into the mighty Mississippi River 64 feet below. More than a hundred vehicles were trapped on the I-35W Bridge as it tumbled into the water, submerging 17 cars and stranding many others. In the end, thirteen people, 8 men and 5 women, died and 145 were injured. As catastrophic as the bridge failure was, and tragic in loss of life, it became immediately apparent losing one of the major traffic arteries in the Twin Cities area had dire monetary consequences. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Office of Investment Management estimated the daily cost to motorists at $400,000. The State Department of Economic Development Impact Analysis believed the average net economic impact incurred an additional $113,000 daily reduction in the State's economic output. The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce claimed the daily cost to business exceeded half a million dollars. While no one could agree on an exact magnitude of impact, everyone agreed that delay was not an option. MnDOT needed to build a new bridge. Quickly, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty challenged MnDOT to complete a replacement bridge within 18 months. Considering it typically takes that long (or longer) just to identify the scope of a project the size of the I-35 Bridge, MnDOT knew they needed to approach this rebuild in a radically different way. Much to the amazement of, well, just about everybody, the new state-of-the-art I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge opened for business ahead of schedule on September 18, 2008. This case study tells the remarkable story of how MnDOT turned tragedy into triumph using principles that the University of Tennessee researchers have coined Vested Outsourcing. This case study shares how MnDOT worked closely with the contractor - Flatiron Manson Joint Venture and architect FIGG Engineering - and applied the Five Rules of Vested Outsourcing to achieve what some called impossible.