Embattled Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau has responded to preliminary findings of the State House Commerce and Labor Committee’s investigation into the construction of the new Wakota Bridge. In a 14-page letter addressed to the attention of the committee chair, Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-South St. Paul), Molnau defended the handling of the project by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, including a contract dispute with Lunda Construction in which an independent mediation board faulted Molnau.

Molnau declares, “I respectfully, but strongly, disagree with the findings in your committee’s preliminary report.”  The letter then addresses seven items which “Mn/DOT believes are the report’s errors and misrepresentations.” The preliminary findings Molnau objects to include:

  • “Mn/DOT selected and approved a bridge design that has failed half the time.”

  • “At the same time, another HTNB three-web bridge in Florida was found to be failing, but Mn/DOT did nothing to reconsider the design for the Wakota Bridge.”
  • “MN/DOT was also responsible for seven months of delay in the Wakota Bridge project because of failure to account for a waste water main.”
  • “MN/DOT sought, then rejected re-bids from the general contractor to perform the newly designed, more costly eastbound span. Mn/DOT rejected these bids even though the bids were well within Mn/DOT’s estimates of what the eastbound span would cost.”
  • The independent DRB found Mn/DOT wrongfully terminated the contract with Lunda.
  • “After terminating Lunda for the eastbound bridge Mn/DOT has inexplicably delayed the re-bidding of the eastbound span of the Wakota Bridge for 14 months.”
  • “Now it is not even clear that Mn/DOT has the funding necessary to complete the Wakota Bridge project.”

Molnau’s defense comes amid calls for her resignation in light of the 35W bridge collapse, the subsequent bidding process, Mn/DOT’s handling of the Wakota Bridge, and Mn/DOT’s budgetary woes. State Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, has also stated that Senate will likely vote down Molnau’s confirmation in the next session forcing her to step down.

Molnau’s letter can be read in its entirety here (.pdf).