In a tone both laudatory and somber, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek announced late Monday in the shadows of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse wreckage that the nearly three-week recovery efforts had finally come to an end.

"We have reunited each of the known [previously missing] victims of the bridge disaster: Peter, Sadiya and Hana, Vera and Richard, Christine, Scott and Greg with their families that so anxiously and lovingly awaited them," Stanek said.

The body of Greg Jolstad, a 45-year-old road construction worker from Mora, Minn., and the last known victim of the tragedy, was found about 6:15 p.m. Monday.

Stanek said workers recovered Jolstad from the river in the same general area as the other victims.

While the recovery efforts have ceased, work at the bridge site will continue for weeks to come, primarily centering around debris removal and cleanup, he said.

This new phase also means that authorities will allow more access to the area around the bridge site.

Stanek said that the details of the new perimeter had yet to be finalized but that he planned to meet with city of Minneapolis officials today to discuss reopening some nearby streets and bridges.

With the discovery of Jolstad's body, the death toll of the Aug. 1 catastrophe now officially stands at 13.

Jolstad, a machine operator for Progressive Contractors Inc. of St. Michael, Minn., was one of 18 construction workers doing resurfacing work on the bridge and the only one among them who wasn't found after the bridge fell.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and three stepchildren, Katie, 19; Kim, 18, and Nick, 17.

As of late Monday, an autopsy was pending and Jolstad's cause of death had not been determined, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.

Meanwhile, seven bridge collapse survivors were still hospitalized, with two listed in serious condition, four satisfactory, one in good condition.

Federal aid sought

Also Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty asked President Bush to declare the bridge collapse a major disaster, a designation that would make it eligible for federal money to help defray an estimated $8.5 million bill for emergency workers' overtime, equipment expenses and other response costs.

He also asked for federal money for low-interest loans to help businesses affected by the catastrophe.

In a letter to Bush, Pawlenty said Minneapolis and Hennepin County have been significantly affected by the collapse.

"I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments," he wrote.

In the letter, Pawlenty assured Bush that state and local governments would pay their required share, an estimated $2.1 million.