Settlement in the 35W bridge collapse

After three years, things seem to be coming together to bring some sort of closure to those who were affected by the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August of 2007.

As I reported on Allvoices, the leftover pieces from the bridge that were used in the investigation will be moved to a warehouse in Afton, MN; and the StarTribune reported this morning that the engineering firm hired by MnDOT to be a consultant on the 35W bridge and its condition has come to a settlement with the victims and the families.

The company is URS, based in San Francisco. The company claimed it didn't know about an apparent design flaw in the bridge structure.

The settlement is $52.4 million, according to the StarTribune, and will be dispersed amongst reimbursements for worker's comp claims, the permanent memorial for the victims, which has been seeing money problems of its own, and the bulk of the money, $48.6 million will be paid to the victims.

Jim Schwebel, a prominent attorney in Minneapolis told the StarTribune that a monetary value can't compensate for the lives lost; but he says it is "gratifying" that they could come to some sort of settlement to help the families cope.