Cause of Oak Island bridge collapse released

The Department of Transportation said they now know what caused the Oak Island Bridge to collapse in December, taking the life of one worker.

In sixty-seven page report released Tuesday, the DOT said evidence shows the couplers that connected parts of the steel road support brace were welded together, which ultimately weakened the rods to the point where they couldn’t support the weight of the girder.

The report also points out several metal braces near the girder weren’t installed properly.

The DOT will continue to review the report, and make suggestions in order to resume work on the bridge as soon as possible.

All major work was stopped on that bridge after the collapse.