I-35E bridge last inspected in August

Chunks of concrete fell from the underside of the Maryland Avenue bridge onto two vehicles on Saturday. No one was hurt, but traffic was choked off on Interstate 35E for more than eight hours as crews inspected the overpass.

The Associated Press

7/28/2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota's top bridge engineer says a 50-year-old bridge in St. Paul that dropped 1,200 pounds of concrete onto a freeway is "structurally safe."

Chunks of concrete fell from the underside of the Maryland Avenue bridge onto two vehicles on Saturday. No one was hurt, but traffic was choked off on Interstate 35E for more than eight hours as crews inspected the overpass.

State bridge engineer Dan Dorgan says the bridge was inspected last August. He says officials knew the bridge deck was breaking down, but nothing suggested the pieces would break off within the year.

The bridge was built in 1958. It's scheduled to be replaced in 2014.