When Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau to head the state Department of Transportation four years ago, he called her a one-woman "SWAT team" who would grab lapels, kick down doors and shake up the bureaucracy.

But in the aftermath of the catastrophic collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge across the Mississippi River on Aug. 1, it's the woman affectionately known around the State Capitol as "the rock" who finds herself on the defensive.

Although it may be months before the cause of the collapse is known, questions are intensifying about Molnau and whether Pawlenty will replace the self-described "common sense" leader who heads the agency responsible for overseeing the condition and safety of state roads and bridges.

So far, the governor has publicly expressed nothing but support, saying Molnau is "doing a good job."

And even Molnau critics say it would be wrong to assign blame before the evidence is in. Still, when Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, was asked last week whether Molnau can continue to do the job, he answered, "No."

Molnau has said she has no plans to resign as transportation chief. But, said David Gaither, Pawlenty's former chief of staff: "She's in a tough spot no matter what happens. You're almost damned if you do and damned if you don't."

Criticism deflected

In the 12 days since the bridge collapsed, Molnau has juggled the sorrow of lives lost and those forever changed with steady criticism that the department she oversees may have been partly responsible for what happened.

In an interview Friday, Molnau was at turns resolute and confident in her ability to lead the agency and emotional about the tragedy. She insisted she had no inkling of the bridge's danger.

"If I had, the bridge would have been closed," she said.

She said she trusts the engineers who work for her and doesn't second-guess them, and defended MnDOT's decision-making despite evidence that the department knew of serious problems on the bridge.

"Do I look at the bridge inspection reports? No," she said. "I really believe we have professionals trained to do that."

At the same time, Molnau's voice cracked and she began to cry as she recalled visiting the scene the Saturday after the bridge collapsed.

"The site was very cold in the sense that you knew that it was a gravesite," she said. "It was devastating to me. I had a very difficult time seeing the site as most people would. I saw the cars and of course you think of the life lost, then you look around and see the workers, MnDOT employees, rescue, sheriff. ... It was tough for a lot of folks."

Resilient, unlikely leader

From the beginning, Molnau, 57, has seemed to be an unlikely leader for MnDOT.

She's a no-new-taxes farmer without a college degree heading an agency with 4,500 employees and a $2 billion annual budget that hungers constantly for road funding. By her own admission, she's a "not very polished kind of person."

But those who know her best say she has strength and resilience that could help her survive the political fallout of the bridge tragedy.