Bridge collapse affects all of us

The pavement beneath them moved, the metal beneath the pavement twisted, groaning as the structure toppled swiftly, sending them plunging into the cold Mississippi River 64 feet below. The horrific collapse of the I-35W bridge on Wed. Aug. 1, 2007, at 6:05 p.m. jolted Twin Cities' residents into a collective panic. Local television stations halted programming to connect with viewers. Phone lines were jammed as people rushed to call one another, confirming their loved ones' safety.

Out of the rubble, a haunting phrase was coined: "This is a catastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota," said Gov. Tim Pawlenty in his first television address to a state in shock that Wed. evening.

The tragedy created headlines and sparked discourse around the nation and world. Major news outlets around the United States alerted citizens almost instantaneously. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired news of the collapse to the world of within hours. It took only one full night for news crews to begin camping along Washington Ave. and in dinky town's backyard, waiting for their chance to capture the aftermath.

Speculation began soon after. An editorial published by WorldNetDaily.com on Aug. 2 quoted Thomas Rooney, president of Insituform Technologies of St. Louis, Mo. as saying: "The U.S. Department of Transportation says 100,000 bridges in this country are structurally deficient. If 1 percent of 1 percent of these dangerous structures collapse, that is not accidental. That is predictable."

"It was classified as 'structurally deficient' in a federal report, the Associated Press reported," said John Elsen and Libby Sander in a New York Times article Thursday, August 2.

In a retort to these allegations, Governor Pawlenty said "that a federal government report on the bridge, making an assessment based on data provided by the state, 'called for inspections, which we did, 2005-2006. Inspectors on the ground said yes, there is some fatigue in the bridge, but it doesn’t rise to the level of being immediately replaced. In fact, it was slotted for replacement in about 2020.'"

Mary E. Peters, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said in a press conference, "[The Minnesota Department of Transportation] did everything appropriate. But clearly we need to understand what happened here. Bridges in America should not fall down."

Construction of the I-35W bridge began in 1964, and the eight-lane throughway was open for passage in 1967. Over $5 million was spent on the project, the equivalent of approximately $30 million today. The bridge had been inspected annually since 1993, before which it had been inspected bi-annually. The structure bore the weight of 140,000 cars, trucks and commercial vehicles everyday.

For college students around the Twin Cities their world has been shaken-up; and heartbreakingly, some have lost family members or friends. Other complications are rapidly arising. Commuting to work and fall classes has, or will, become more difficult and time consuming for many. Alternate routes are taking shape around the metro area, including the transformation of Highway 280 into a no - stop freeway and extra lanes being added to Interstate 94.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has dedicated an entire Web site to updates and information on the bridge collapse, available at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge.