August 2, 200719 yr good god...i hope everyone is safe although i get the feeling that is just wishful thinking
August 2, 200719 yr Was driving over the mississippi (centenial bridge) when i heard it on the radio.. crazy. Awful awful news. sh*t is going to hit the fan when the dust settles. Hopefully the fatalities are at a minimum. thoughts to the families.
August 2, 200719 yr I don't think, the bridge is supposedly ancient though. it's 40 years old....not new but not ancient i drove over it this morning, as i do all the time when i head south of the cities. it's a pretty f*cked up situation, to say the least.
August 2, 200719 yr Tough day here in the Twin Cities. This is a bridge that everyone(here) probably has traveled on at least once.....most likely many times. It's close to the U of Minn. What a mess, and while I haven't been down there, I've heard that the pictures don't begin to tell the story....it's devastating. RIP..... and may those that are missing, be found quickly.....
August 3, 200719 yr It appears the death toll may be below 10 souls. Please let it be so, 20 was horrific.
August 3, 200719 yr This reminds me of the Skyway Collapse into Tampa Bay back in 1980: WTVT Archive & WTSP Archive
August 23, 200718 yr just saw a thing on this on my aol main page...officials think that corrosive pigeon dung may be the culprit
August 24, 200718 yr just saw a thing on this on my aol main page...officials think that corrosive pigeon dung may be the culprit Anybody think maybe what really did it was putting eight lanes of traffic on a bridge designed to carry only four?
September 16, 200817 yr It's official: I-35W bridge to open Thursday By Tim Harlow and Jim Foti, Star Tribune Last update: September 15, 2008 - 9:36 PM The new Interstate 35W bridge will open to motorists at 5 a.m. Thursday, just over a year after the old bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River killing 13 people and cutting off a key Minneapolis artery. Local, state and federal leaders gathered this morning on the replacement bridge to announce the completion of construction. They also explained plans for a permanent memorial to the victims of the August 1, 2007, collapse that injured 145 people. The new concrete span includes high-tech sensors and back-up features the steel truss bridge it replaces lacked. The $234 million bridge was fast-tracked to restore a traffic route that accounted for 140,000 trips a day. The builders are in line for a bonus of up to $27 million for completing the project more than three months early. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said during this morning's celebration that the State Patrol will be on hand Thursday to prevent a crush of vehicles from trying to cross the bridge at once. He also said there will be a fundraiser to raise money to build and maintain a memorial for the victims. The memorial will be built at a cost of $1 million on the northeast corner of Gold Medal Park, which is on Second Street and 10th Avenue, just east of the Guthrie Theater. Construction will begin when $750,000 is raised for the memorial. An additional $250,000 will be used for maintenance. The site was chosen because the park became an unofficial gathering spot after the bridge collapsed. "It shall now become a permanent spot," said Tom Oslund, who is designing the memorial. The memorial will be an 81-foot square with a 65-foot circular medallion in the center that will have the date and time of the bridge collapse. It will be surrounded by 13 I-beams and a 13-foot fountain to commemorate each of the victims. So far the memorial fundraising campaign has received contributions from the Flatiron-Manson and Thrivent Financial. The celebration included U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, along with Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar and Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., members of the state Legislature and Minneapolis City Council, survivors and members of the victims' families. Unlike typical events, this morning's celebration was subdued in deference to the victims. Coleman called it a "day of mixed emotions." "Resiliency and tragedy go hand in hand," Coleman told the crowd. "This is a revelation of the Minnesota spirit of people determined to come together. As we reflect on this tragedy, we celebrate this magnificent day." Klobuchar called this a day of remembrance and celebration and honored the 13 victims and the children on the school bus perched on the edge of the bridge. And she praised the firefighters, police officers, rescue workers and good Samaritans. "Nothing that has happened here over the last 11 months is anything short of a miracle," Bachmann said. Mary Leonard, one of the kids on school bus that was trapped when the bridge collapsed, expressed her gratitude. "I'd like to thank all the nice people who care about kids," she said. "It's nice to know that our community likes to help." When the new bridge opens, eager drivers will likely flock to their old routines. Unless they're content with their new ones. http://www.startribune.com/28393884.html?page=1&c=y
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