WASHINGTON — President Bush yesterday offered his condolences to victims of the highway bridge collapse in Minneapolis and said the federal government would help ensure the 40-year-old span is rebuilt as soon as possible.

“We in the federal government must respond, and respond robustly, to help the people there not only recover, but to make sure that lifeline of activity — that bridge — gets rebuilt as quickly as possible,” Mr. Bush said in the Rose Garden following a Cabinet meeting.

The White House said an inspection two years ago found structural deficiencies in the highway bridge that buckled during evening rush hour Wednesday, killing at least four people and sending dozens of cars plummeting into the Mississippi River.

The Interstate 35W span rated 50 on a scale of 120 for structural stability, White House press secretary Tony Snow said.

“This doesn’t mean there was a risk of failure, but if an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions,” he said.

First Lady Laura Bush will visit Minneapolis on Friday to console victims of the disaster. Her schedule has not been completed. Earlier, Mrs. Bush had been scheduled to visit an American Indian magnet school and make a speech at a youth conference in nearby St. Paul, Minn., and deliver remarks at the Republican National Committee summer meeting in Minneapolis. The Republican National Convention will be held in Minneapolis in September 2008.

Mr. Bush sent Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to Minneapolis, where she announced a $5 million grant to help pay for rerouting traffic patterns around the disaster.

Mr. Bush made morning phone calls to Governor Pawlenty of Minnesota and Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis to offer support and acknowledge the cost of losing a main transportation artery.

“I told them that the secretary [of transportation] would be there,” Mr. Bush said. “I told them we would help with rescue efforts. But I also told them how much we are in prayer for those who suffered. And I thank our fellow, my fellow citizens for holding up those who are suffering.”

The administration also has sent federal help from the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FBI, Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Snow said.

Mr. Bush first learned of the disaster while having dinner Wednesday night with the first lady. Mr. Snow said Mr. Bush received preliminary details about the bridge collapse from Joe Hagin, deputy chief of staff. Mr. Hagin called Fran Townsend, Mr. Bush’s homeland security adviser, who reported that there were no known links to terrorists.

The president has offered comfort to victims several times in recent months. In March, Mr. Bush he visited survivors of tornadoes that ripped through Alabama and Georgia. In April, he offered words of hope at Virginia Tech after a gunman killed 32 people and committed suicide. In May, Mr. Bush went to Kansas after a tornado wiped out the tiny town of Greensburg.