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The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

URS Corporation

Minneapolis Bridge Collapse (State Lawsuit)

Date: 03/19/2010 (Date of Settlement)

Misconduct Type: Poor Contract Performance

Enforcement Agency: State/Local

Contracting Party: State/Local

Court Type: Civil

Amount: $5,000,000

Disposition: Settlement

Synopsis: The URS Corporation and the State of Minnesota settled a lawsuit over the August 1, 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Department of Transportation had hired URS to analyze the structural integrity of the bridge. The state alleged URS breached its contracts and was negligent because it failed to discover the bridge's defects, including that some of the steel plates that joined the bridge's beams together were thinner than they should have been. URS did not admit any liability or fault and agreed to pay $5 million.