Highway Bridge Collapses in Iowa

Part of a bridge that was being torn down in Fort Dodge has collapsed, injuring two workers.

Fort Dodge Fire Chief David Luers says the workers were beginning to remove part of the deck on the U.S. Highway 169 bridge Monday morning when the deck collapsed and fell about 20 feet.

The workers are employed by Minnowa Construction Inc., of Harmony, Minn. Project Manager Ben Thorson says one worker suffered a cut on his forehead. The other suffered an injured wrist. They were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Thorson did not release the workers’ names.

Iowa Department of Transportation director of bridges, Norm McDonald, says the beam on the 66-foot-long span buckled but it wasn’t immediately known what cause the beam to collapse.