August 1st, 2017 (In Memorial of the 35W Bridge Collapse)

Originally posted on my Blogger blog.

By the time I hit 'post' or whatever on here, it will be after 6:05. I had been aiming for right then, but it didn't happen.

Why that specific time? Well, it's because that was the time that, 10 years ago today, the 35W Bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River.

For those unfamiliar with this event, I'll give a summary of it.

From Columbus, MN, to Burnsville, MN, I-35 is split into two parts: 35W, going through Minneapolis; and 35E, which goes through St. Paul. The bridge that collapsed was the one on the west side, just outside of Minneapolis. It was still a busy time for the roads, and full of people heading home. 35W was (as the new one is now) the main route into and out of the western side of the Twin Cities area, going right through Minneapolis, which is the largest city in Minnesota. People commute in and out of this area every day for work, just as they did this day. In fact, it was a pretty average day.

What happened this time, though, was that a design flaw, a defective gusset plate gave way. It wasn't suited to be there to start with, and with the heavy traffic and road construction on it at the time, it couldn't hold. The bridge went down in an instant. Several people have told the local news stations that it just dropped, sending up a cloud of dust came up.

This is one of the worst disasters in Minnesota history. In total, there were 111 vehicles involved, 145 were injured, and 13 people lost their lives. In the immediate aftermath, it certainly 'all hand on deck.' They declared a state of emergency, if that helps show the seriousness of the situation. It lead to more inspection of bridge infrastructure, revealing how poorly kept things had been.

For me personally, this is a big deal. I was not on the bridge at the time, nor do I personally know anyone (to the best of my knowledge) that was. It was, however, somewhere I had been an uncountable number of times before. I-35 is the main way to get to where my grandparents (who my family and I visit often) live, and 35W is the closest part for us. For years we had driven over that bridge, not even thinking about it.

There are events in one's life that you remember where you were. For me, this is one of them. I was on my computer, when my dad came in and told me what happened. It didn't set in until I saw the news stories. To this day, I am taken back by the images and video. I felt it more so today, as it is the anniversary of this dreadful day. I've made this as a release of this feeling, and in condolence.

Tonight the new bridge, the St. Anthony Falls Bridge, will be dark in memorial to the victims. Most of us here in the state that remember it will likely have it in our minds today. It may not be known to many worldwide, but here we are still feeling the effects. Especially today.

~ S

Resources: WCCO news, KSTP news, MPR, Wikipedia.

The aforementioned news outlets have many recent news stories and specials about it, if you want more information. Another good place In An Instant, from ABC's 20/20. It's the second episode from the first season, and has firsthand accounts.