The collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis led immediately to calls for increased gas taxes for infrastructure repair. The fact that at least 20 percent of such increases would be likely to be spent on transit, and who knows how much more would be up for grabs by Congressional earmarkers, was carefully kept quiet.
Now it appears likely that the collapse was not due to inadequate maintenance. Instead, it was a design flaw. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, the bridge probably collapsed when one or more gusset plates failed. (See also this press release.)
