Bridging emergency management: A professional assessment of the Minneapolis bridge collapse and other infrastructure failures

Abstract

To many in the emergency management profession, the Minneapolis bridge collapse was an epic event that has raised the situational awareness of our crumbling infrastructure. Although this event provided insight to the emergency management community, the vast majority in the civil engineering profession has long recognized the failing integrity of our aging and overburdened infrastructure and the cataclysmic result of its failure. The Minneapolis bridge collapse is a result of the failure, as a profession and a society, to proactively raise awareness of all hazards and to address emerging threats. These hazards include those risks that are created by our technological advances and lack of essential maintenance of these vital national assets.