The problems on the DeSoto Bridge along state Highway 23 were discovered and reported to Minnesota Department of Transportation Thursday, the St. Cloud Times reported.

The gussets, which hold the bridge's structure together, are bent one-quarter of an inch, said Acting Transportation Commissioner Bob McFarlin said.

"It's not a huge bend in the gusset plates but it's noticeable," he said.

Inspectors are examining the bridge and assessing whether it should be repaired or replaced. If the bridge can't be fixed, it will be closed until it can be replaced, McFarlin said during a news conference.

The distorted gusset plates were found during a routine end-of-winter inspection of the bridge, prompting engineers to close the bridge, MnDOT engineer Jim Povich said.

"We decided to err on the side of safety," he said.

The bridge was inspected shortly after the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in August because it has a similar design. At the time, inspectors at the time said they found no significant structural problems.