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URS Corporation issues statement on settlement of I-35W bridge litigation

SAN FRANCISCO — URS Corporation issued the following statement regarding its settlement of the I-35W bridge litigation: "URS has reached an agreement that fully resolves the plaintiffs' legal claims against the company with no admission of liability or fault by URS. The I-35W bridge collapse was a tragedy, which the National Transportation Safety Board concluded was caused by a design flaw, compounded by large weight increases from upgrade projects over the years, and the traffic and construction loads on the day the bridge collapsed. URS was not involved in the design or building of the bridge, nor was it involved in any of the later construction work, including the resurfacing work being done when the bridge collapsed.

"URS believes it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders to resolve this matter and avoid the cost and distraction of protracted litigation. The settlement amount of $52.4 million will be paid in full by the company's insurers."

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Article Comments
  • Richard Goodwin wrote on August 26, 2010, 15:52:

    The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Nov. 14, 2008 released its report on the August 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The report cited that the probable cause was the inadequate load capacity, due to Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates Inc.’s design error of the gusset plates at the U10 nodes, which failed under a combination of 1) substantial increases in the weight of the bridge, which resulted from previous modifications, and 2) the traffic and concentrated construction loads on the bridge on the day of the accident.

  • Anoop Batra wrote on August 25, 2010, 20:11:

    Great that it is settled and URS can move forward.



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