Minnesota bridge on verge of collapsing following torrential rain, flooding

A bridge close to a Minnesota dam is on the verge of crumbling into the Blue Earth River following a barrage of heavy rain and flooding.

The County Road 9 bridge, a roughly 40-year-old bridge close to the Minnesota metropolis of Mankato, could topple over if the climate doesn’t subside to permit correct structural reinforcements to happen. 

Heavy rain and flooding have pummeled the Midwest for days with Blue Earth River’s water ranges rising dramatically, testing the structural integrity of the Rapidan Dam.

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The dam has already suffered a partial failure, which resulted in a home alongside the Blue Earth River close to the dam falling into the river, and the dam retailer close by being demolished. The Rapidan Dam is situated about 14 miles south of Mankato in Southern Minnesota.

“Unfortunately, we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature at this point,” Ryan Thilges, the general public works director for Blue Earth County instructed reporters Tuesday. He was flanked by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and different officers who went to the dam to get an replace on flood circumstances and restoration efforts.

Thilges stated that the bridge’s piers are piled by sediment and sit atop of sandstone bedrock, and never pushed into the bedrock. The gushing water has washed some of the sediment away, placing the bridge’s stability in danger.

“All of the lateral stability for the piling was achieved through the sediment that was in place, that had been impounded in the river basin over the life of the dam,” Thilges stated. 

“So as we’re seeing dramatic levels of river head cutting, as the river’s lowering itself down and washing away tremendous amounts of sediment, we’re losing stability.”

He stated the water is flowing too quick to take measurements of the sediment within the river or on the pier. Locals use the bridge to commute throughout the dam from rural patches of land to close by cities.

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Floodwater going across the Rapidan Dam on June 27, 2024, close to Mankato, Minn.  (Mark Vancleave/AP)

“Right now, again, we believe it’s approximately 50 percent exposed. And as the river level continues to decrease and cut the riverbed elevation down, we’re very concerned about the potential for partial or full failure of the bridge,” Thilges stated. “With that being said, the bridge has been closed since the dam began to overtop Monday morning and we’ll continue to keep it closed for public safety.”

Officials say they started shoring up the west pier of the County Road 9 bridge final week with unfastened stones — often called rip rap — as an emergency mitigation technique to keep away from additional publicity on the base of the pier. The riprap stays in place and the bridge stays closed as officers proceed to observe it for stability.

Walz stated he fears the bridge will collapse and can must be changed. He gave locals assurances that it could be constructed again ought to the worst case situation come to cross. 

“The one thing I think Minnesotans should be reassured about… we will rebuild. The cost will be shared by all of us,” Walz stated. “So, the burden will not fall on these county commissioners.”

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, speaks to Blue Earth County Public Works Director Ryan Thilges (Michael Goldberg/AP)

Last week, the governor’s workplace introduced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) permitted a federal catastrophe declaration for 22 counties in Minnesota impacted by flooding. State funding offered by the Minnesota Legislature may even be offered to assist communities, Fox 9 reports. 

The dam partially failed after heavy rain final week pushed water across the west facet of the construction as an alternative of by the gates of the dam.

Construction of the Rapidan Dam was completed in 1910. While it was constructed to generate electrical energy, it has been broken by a number of rounds of flooding in latest many years. An April 2023 evaluation carried out by the National Inventory of Dams discovered Rapidan to be in poor situation, and officers have been learning the chance of eradicating it.

Editor’s be aware: This story has been up to date for accuracy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.