After the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in August 2007, officials stated that the main threat to the safety of the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges would be a "catastrophic earthquake". This statement was made before the 2008 Illinois earthquake. After the 5.2 earthquake hit, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Keith Todd said that such a quake "would not be expected to cause damage to well-engineered structures." However, both bridges were inspected as a precaution. Aside from earthquakes, another particular concern is the presence of the two piers holding the three central spans on each bridge inside the river transit lanes. The bridges have been struck at least once every 5 years on average.