Bush Pledges to Rebuild 'Main Artery of Life'
During Tour of Collapsed Bridge Site, President Vows to Cut Through Bureaucracy

By Paul Lewis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 5, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 4 -- President Bush used a tour of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge Saturday to pledge responsibility for rebuilding the ruined structure, which he described as a "main artery of life" for residents of Minnesota's Twin Cities.

Standing in front of the crumpled concrete and twisted metal girders that once spanned the Mississippi River, Bush promised to "cut through" the bureaucracy and "see if we can't get this bridge rebuilt in a way that not only expedites the flow of traffic, but in a way that can stand the test of time."

"I make no promises on the timetable," Bush said. "I do promise that Mary Peters, the secretary of transportation, is going to be in charge of this project. I do promise she's going to listen to the local authorities to find out what the folks here need. I do promise that when she sees roadblocks and hurdles in the way of getting the job done, she'll do everything she can to eliminate them."

Peters has already requested an investigation into the federal bridge inspection program, and she told reporters Saturday that her department's inspector general would look at the prioritization of funds for bridge repairs. The Minnesota bridge had been classified as "structurally deficient" by the federal government since 1990.

Bush's assurance of federal action stood in contrast to his administration's response to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the May tornado that wiped out Greensburg, Kan., when officials in Washington played down their responsibilities and pointed instead to state agencies.

But the president struck a familiar tone when he met with rescue workers and civilians who responded to the bridge collapse, telling them he was impressed by their compassion and instinct to help.

The meetings echoed visits he made this year to Alabama and Georgia, where he consoled victims of tornadoes, and to Virginia Tech University, where he offered condolences and words of support to a devastated community after April's campus shootings.

Bush first toured the bridge site by air, his helicopter, Marine One, circling several times as Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) explained the scene to the president, officials said.

From above, the jagged slabs of the bridge lay jumbled at every angle, looking as though the spans had melted and crumpled. Amid the rubble of metal and concrete, some vehicles sat eerily still and unharmed; others, including a school bus, teetered precariously near the edges of the bridge.

At least five people were killed and about 100 injured Wednesday when the bridge plummeted more than 60 feet into the river during the evening rush hour.

Five of the injured remained in critical condition Saturday, hospital officials said. The exact number of people still missing is unknown, although some authorities have reduced their estimates to as few as eight.

Upon landing, Bush surveyed the ruins from a pier at a nearby lock. As he spoke to two Army Corps of Engineers workers who saw the bridge come down, the river was disturbed only by the occasional air bubbles of two divers searching for bodies in the wreckage of vehicles.

Bush met with one of the divers participating in the recovery search, as well as with Red Cross personnel and first-responders. He posed for photographs and patted officials on the back. He also met with survivors of those killed in the collapse.

The president singled out for praise Gary Babineau, a 24-year-old construction worker who helped ferry more than 50 children to safety after they were trapped in the school bus.

Babineau told Bush of the rescue, the two men both wearing red hard hats and gesturing toward the bus. Babineau told reporters later that he had "painted a picture" for the president about how the drama unfolded, telling him of the dust, the bleeding children whose faces were frozen with shock.

"I could see it: He was just thinking about it, and he could just see how terrifying it was," Babineau said.

Bush said: "We have an amazing country, where people's instinct, first instinct, is to help save life. There's a lot of people's first instincts here in the Twin Cities was to save the lives of somebody who was hurting. And I know the people of this community thank their fellow citizens who did that."

The president offered prayers to the families of those killed at the bridge, from those who "wonder about whether they'll ever see a loved one again." He then struck an optimistic note, suggesting "a better life" can come from such terrible tragedies.

Those touched by the incident are "committed to turning something ugly into something good," Bush said, and he voiced his conviction that "it's going to happen."

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the cause of the bridge collapse, but Peters acknowledged that the nation's road infrastructure is aging.

"Most of our infrastructure came about as long as 50 years ago, as the interstate highway system was being built," she said, but added, "I do believe that America's highways and bridges are safe."

On Saturday, the House joined the Senate in authorizing about $250 million to rebuild the structure. Administration officials said more federal money could be made available if needed to cover the cost of the rebuild.