Minnesota’s congressional delegation is divided about a National Transportation Safety Board decision not to hold an investigative hearing on last August’s Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) favor a public hearing. Sen. Norm Coleman (R) supports NTSB’s judgment, according to media reports.

NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker on March 17 said the board agreed with staff recommendations not to hold a hearing. The vote was 3-2, a spokesman says. Dissenting board members Deborah A.P. Hersman and Kathryn O’Leary Higgins said, “A focused public hearing may uncover significant useful information” for NTSB and transportation interests.