35W Bridge Collapse
If you are online to read this and haven’t found out yet, you’re… well, I don’t even know.
The 35W bridge over the Mississippi collapsed today. I found out via Twitter. It happened at approximately 6:00 pm. There are cars in the river. There was a school bus full of kids on the bridge, but the bus didn’t actually fall in the water. A whole section of bridge dropped straight down and is sitting just above the water. CNN’s running photos that folks downtown have taken from their apartment.
There’s been construction work going on on various parts of 35W near downtown for a long time, but I wasn’t aware that they were actually working on this bridge.
Phone service is spotty.
KARE11
WCCO
KSTP
MPR
Star Tribune
Pioneer Press
We’ll update with info as we find it.
See also: our open thread, the Google Map photo of the bridge, and raw footage of the collapse.
UPDATE 8:00 PM: We’re tossing info in the comments, so add it if you’ve got it.
Chuck put up some of KSTP’s live coverage on YouTube.
Hennepin County Medical Center press conference: 16 people arrived at HCMC. They’re under “alert orange” which means personnel in certain areas are being asked to come in. Not everyone. Folks coming in have multiple cuts and bruises and lots of bleeding. Neck braces. Some unconscious.
All 60 kids on the school bus got off the bus. About 10 have gone to the hospital. About 30-40 are still on the scene and need to be picked up by their parents.
There’s a Twins game tonight, so people were heading downtown. An eyewitness report I heard on MPR said southbound traffic was bumper to bumper and moving at about 20mph. That guy watched the bridge fall in front of him and slid backward from the buckling.
Also, there’s severe weather on the way. Lightning already spotted in the area.
There was maintenance work ongoing, but none of the heavy duty construction going on.
UPDATE 8:20: More from HCMC: Doctor confirms 16 critical, one death due to drowning. No info on the victim. Video on WCCO showing folks on stretchers with lots of blood on them.
This guy was on a boat on the river and saw the bridge come down. This guy lives right by the bridge and felt his whole apartment shake.
UPDATE 8:35: Here’s what that bridge normally looks like. It’s the one in the foreground with the steel girders. The river crossing is near downtown Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota.
Originally uploaded by bridgepix.
Here’s the Mn/DOT news release about the maintenance work. Traffic was already restricted in that area. This single-lane restriction was not in effect at the time of the collapse.
Nighttime bridge overlay work will require Minnesota Department of Transportation crews to temporarily restrict traffic to a single lane on I-35W.
The northbound lanes of I-35W between I-94 and Highway 36 will be restricted to a single lane from 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, through 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1 and again from 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, through 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2.
Southbound I-35W will be restricted to a single lane from 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1 until 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2.
The WikiNews article.
UPDATE 9:10: Families looking for people should go to the Metrodome Holiday Inn. Metafilter thread. Terrorism has been ruled out as a cause.
Memorial Blood Centers: Call (651) 332-7000 or 888-GIVE-BLD to inquire about making donations.
Red Cross is taking donations.
This bridge was last inspected in 2004. In 2001, a civil engineering study was commissioned and they determined that while the bridge showed signs of “fatigue detail” it didn’t show any fatigue cracking.
‘CCO says that there are 6 confirmed fatalities, all from drowning.
Press conference upcoming with MPD chief Tim Dolan, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak.
UPDATE 10:00: Still watching WCCO. Don Shelby is explaining that the concrete deck added almost no structural integrity to the bridge. It’s all in the steel truss. Stress testing did show that the bridge showed the most stress when 3 semis drove by side-by-side. Shelby’s hypothesizing that the construction traffic created unusually high stress on the bridge. Video of Shelby talking to a bridge engineer.
Buzz.mn is liveblogging. Max is rounding up local bloggers checking in at MNspeak.
Flickr photos: adamwolf, steve.schmeiser, mordac, Bree R, Tubes., diversey.
Basic facts about the I-35W Mississippi River Crossing.
UPDATE 10:20: NY Times article.
From WCCO’s timeline: “The bridge crushed a train that was traveling under it at the time of the collapse.”
UPDATE 12:30AM: Video of the aftermath at MN Stories.
More video at Tao of David.
Star Tribune is reporting 9 dead, 60 injured, 20 still missing.
Aggregate page at MPR.
Aaron Landry posted Noah Kubrin’s photos.
Twin City Sidewalks has a terrific post putting some perspective on it all.
Elana Centor at BlogHer: “The last time I crossed the bridge was on Monday as I returned from Blogher. Since my exit was closed, I had to go up the road a mile and then backtrack. It seemed like a big pain. Of course without a bridge that extra excursion now seems like a luxury.”
Julio rounds up the internet response for the PiPress.
UPDATE 8:05 AM: E-democracy has a wiki going compiling information. Also, by all accounts, HCMC’s disaster preparedness and response to this incident was stellar. And from their website, the Red Cross Family Inquiry Line is 612-871-7676. People looking for info about family members at HCMC should call 612-873-3400.
Channel 5 news is estimating between 40-50 cars are/were in the river.
Per friends on Twitter, I understand that power is out in some areas.
Not specific yet, but MnDOT was doing some kind of work or review of the bridge, on the girders and/or diaphragms(?).
Revised: 40-50 cars were on the bridge at the time, not necessarily in the water.
And, some wiki information on the bridge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Bridge
There’s already information being updated to it in relation to the collapse, as well.
Whoa… just heard that for the next 12 hours, there will be free wireless internet available downtown.
WCCO radio 830 has good live coverage, including interviews with the kids on the school bus, who all made it off fine
Via CNN, people with 612 and 655 area codes are being asked to not use their cell phones except in case of emergency to keep the lines clear.
Even the BBC has a bit up:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6927113.stm
Apparently HCMC has about 15 patients in so far.
Some more coverage can be found at CNN as well:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/01/bridge.collapse.ap/index.html
That’s the 651 area code.
I called my gf and my mom to check in. Done now.
Getting lots of info via Twitter.
Just heard the twins are postponing tomorrow’s game and the groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow due to the collapse.
Hope you and yours are all well.
Also, if anyone hears what non-emergency people can do, please leave a comment. I have great faith in my city… in the face of tragedy, I know the people who live here are going to pull together.
Channel 9 mentioned that there may be a call for people to donate blood, just a heads up for those that are inclined.
The American Red Cross Twin Cities Chapter has a ton of information on how to donate blood or cash:
God bless those folks who passed away today.
I am from Bloomington. My heart goes out to the people where were on the bridge. My husband and I are trying to figure out exactly where it went down. Was it just past Washington?
Thanks.
The bridge is between the Washington and University exits.
Thanks. We live in Oklahoma now so we were trying to figure out exactly where it was. We were close. This is so sad.
Very sad. Wish you all the best. Am greatful my family in the area aren’t affected.
Wow, so sad.My sympathy to those affected. Truly sad to see it the count growing.
People can check to see if their relatives or friends are ok at https://disastersafe.redcross.org/safeandWellSearch.aspx
or if the link is bad go to http://www.redcrosstc.org/
and find a link there. Also people can register themselves as “safe and well” in case other people will be looking for them.
People can check to see if their relatives or friends are ok at https://disastersafe.redcross.org/safeandWellSearch.aspx
or if the link is bad go to http://www.redcrosstc.org/
and find a link there. Also people can register themselves as “safe and well” in case other people will be looking for them.
I grew up in Mpls and graduated from the U of M. I was horrified when I heard about the 35-W bridge collapsing. What a terrible disaster! I live in Seattle so I immediately called my family to make sure none of them was missing. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. Minnesotans are good people and I know they will pull together to help the victims. It is very sad to keep seeing the death toll getting larger.
Susan
Seattle
Don’t be such a bunch of Patsies….acknowledge the severe overload of the bridge at the time of collapse due to excess of equiptment, wet cement, and truck loads of sand and cement regrind on the center of the bridge! It was OVERLOADED by design, of our governor who dictates work be done at the lowest common dedominator! The people doing the work were likely assurred that all was safe….BULLSHIT! It was obvious this afternoon that the construction load on the bridge was beyond specification, by design of our not-so-wonderfull Governor Pawlenty! He will tell you that work is being done at the best value….just a few died, eh? Now we know the lower limit? No, we knew it before him! Pawlenty has set a new low.
I am so sorry for the loss this community has suffered. I am a Katrina survivor and I know the horror and shock of tragedy. My advice to you as a city is to realize you are in shock and take care of yourself. It’ll be three days before you really realize what has happened. In the meantime, be kind to a stranger today in tribute to the heroes we can each become in times of crisis. That is what endures beyond the blame of individual events…our capacity as a species to survive.
From Fark, a paper written by a civil engineering prof at the U — Review of Steel Bridges with Fracture-Critical Elements — which includes study of this exact bridge.
Our Gov Gov has a lot of explaining to do. While he was supporting and approving money for new stadiums for the Twins and the University, and supporting the light rail crap, we get to commute on poorly funded roads to get to our jobs to pay taxes to fund our state governments misguided funding. The hard working taxpayers deserve better. Let the lawsuits begin.
Our Gov Gov has a lot of explaining to do. While he was supporting and approving money for new stadiums for the Twins and the University, and supporting the light rail crap, we get to commute on poorly funded roads to get to our jobs to pay taxes to fund our state governments misguided funding. The hard working taxpayers deserve better. Let the lawsuits begin.
I don’t think that’s being fair to Pawlenty. The bridge underwent inspections, including one in 2005 and one in 2006, I heard.
I guess time will tell what the truth of the collapse was.
regarding the comment that includes: “….B[*****]T! It was obvious this afternoon that the construction load on the bridge was beyond specification, by design of our not-so-wonderfull Governor Pawlenty!”
Is it no longer possible for you M.O.P. politicos to put your hateful vindictive vitriol on hold for even a few short hours?
Have you become so consumed with party jingoism and hate that you are no longer able or capable of waiting, even long enough for we-the-people to drag our beloved country-people out of the water?
1. Can we save the political finger-pointing while we’re mourning our loss?
2. If engineering deemed the bridge okay, that’s the info the governor works with.
3. It’s entirely possible this was a fluke.
4. The ongoing construction was for road and bridge improvement. If it’s the construction traffic that caused the undue strain, that totall conflicts with accusing the Gov of shortchanging road funding.
Agreed! There will be plenty of time later to play the blame game. Molly above is correct, be kind to a stranger today!
Who’s that girl running by in the security video? She looks hawt.
Oh fer chrissake.
Great job gathering all this info together.
I doubt that heavy construction equipment or wet concrete would have caused the collapse. From what I heard, traffic was narrowed to a single lane due to the construction. Sounds like the bridge had much less weight on it than it would have from normal rush hour traffic.
I think the U of M Engineering School should model the bridge and see if a jackhammer in the middle could set up strong enough vibrations to travel to the ends of the bridge and reflect back. If so, sound waves could have resonated in a harmonic pattern and amplified to the point where rivets popped. Normal traffic generates “noise” vibrations that tend to cancel or dissipate, but the steady repetition of a jackhammer might produce a wave pattern that builds on itself. The bridge appeared symmetrical in the pictures I saw of it and steel is a great conductor of vibrations. In 1940, the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapsed due to harmonic vibrations caused by wind, so the concept isn’t as far fetched as it might seem. A jackhammer doesn’t produce a lot of energy, but maybe a small amount is enough if applied in the right (wrong?) way.
Thanks, Chuck. And thanks for getting stuff up on YouTube and Minnesota Stories as well. As you were heading out of town, even.
Hmmm. Very interesting, Sivens.
It is a gut reaction to ask why? But I think most of us who responded have hearts and first think about those poor victims just driving home in traffic like any other day, just waiting to get home…and then literally, the bridge fell from underneathe them. I am here in Minneapolis and went to work today like any other day except today I really thought about how lucky I am to be doing just that. My heart goes out to those who didn’t get to drive to work today… and let’s just wait a few days and give the firms a chance to answer the why did this happen??
I read it on http://www.msn.com and here i found the post.
I feel sorry for loss of precious lives in this sad event.
ABC News in New York would like to extend an opportunity for your videos to air on our program and be posted on our website.
If you have recorded any video or taken still pictures of the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whether they be from shortly after it happened or of the aftermath recovery phase, send them to us! We’re asking you to be a part of ABC’s i-CAUGHT! Your reporting could be a part of ABC News!
It’s easy! Here’s HOW:
ABC News is specifically requesting 15-45 second video comments or photos.
HOW TO SUBMIT VIDEOS:
1) Via cell phone
Record a clip and email it to: icaught@abcnews.go.com
2) Via the web:
http://abcnews.go.com/icaught/BeSeenBeHeard/story?id=3437892
We look forward to hearing from you & thanks again for your participation. Should you have any questions about this project, email us back at talkback@abcnews.go.com.
Best,
- The ABC News “Talk Back” Team
Lived in Minneapolis for almost 14 years, and in fact my family (except for working yours truly) was just back there two weeks ago. Always wondered about how safe that bridge was (going over it several times a week and such), although it seemed like there were so many other bridges in worse shape. Seem to recall one in South Minneapolis where the rebar was beginning to be exposed.
Anyway, was wondering if there’s a map showing how traffic is being rerouted due to this? I presume it will be several years before this one is replaced, and it would be useful to know how to get around with the change to the system.
My heart and prayers go out to y’all.
If you’ve ever been in stop and go rush hour traffic on that bridge and had semi’s engines vibrating, you feel your car actually kinda bounce. It was scary for me. Also felt that on 94 just as you leave St. Paul going west toward Mpls. as well. I never felt safe on those 2 bridges.
It’s a nightmare situation and I am praying for all the victims.
so you guys all heard about the collapse….and you know about the bus that barely made it…well my sisters were on it and they’re okay…ohh my word though they are so traumatized. i was waiting for my mom to come and pick me and my sister up at church and was irritated and she was telling me how the bus was late and she was waiting for it to come. Well so 3 minutes later my mom called me back and she was balling and crying and saying an emergency happened and that the bridge that my sisters were going across collapsed suddenly and they barely got across. Well i was in major shock and could hardly believe it…i didn’t have any feeling in my legs or fingers or arms…so a neighbor came and picked us up and my sister and i got home and turned on the tv and saw the bus…oh my god i was so amazed. i called my mom and was able to talk to my sister randi-lynn for 30 seconds and she said that her and mary-juanita were okay and they didn’t have any injuries but a couple few staff and children had cuts and bruises. Julie the director was actually thrown and we saw footage of her and she had blood all over her and my sister gave her her towel. all the kids were taken to redcross building and are held there until a parent comes. Waite House( community center) with who my sisters were with sent a van to come and get some of the kids. my sisters said that other guys came onto the bus and helped the kids get out. my sisters were told to leave everything and exited the back and breathed in dark smoke from the tastee truck that went in flames….the bus driver gunned the bus so that it would go faster so that they barely made it across…my sisters remember hearing the creake of the bridge breaking….they also felt the drop as the dropped and my sister clung onto the emergency exit window thing….my mary-juanita cared for a little 4 year old that was scared. i couldn’t believe it and knew that God and gaurdian angels were there the whole time…my sisters are okay and 10 of the 60 kids went to the hospital…the bus driver might have broken her back….not sure…i emailed wcco news and gave them my number and let them know about the kids on the bus cuz they knew nothing…then moments later i got a call from a lady in a brittish accent and she said she wanted to interview our family for national UK news!!!! so tonite at like 1 am my sisters and mom and i are gonna go to a studio and tomarrow we will be broadcasted internationally!!!!! maybe we’ll be famous
ps. my sisters were playing concentration on the bus and the category was building and then when my sisters were crosing the bridge and my sister
okay i thank God my sisters are okay…i’ll keep every body posted
here is a video
http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=29669@wcco.dayport.com
Photo 1
the bus
julie the director
Heart filled prayers go out to families who have lost and not yet found their loved ones.
Live here in California, but just traveled that bridge with my 4-y/o boy, not 20 days ago while visiting relatives. There but for the grace of God go I.
Peace be with you all
Sivens,
There was actually a Myth-Busters piece about this very scenario (re: if relatively small vibrations at some multiple of a bridge’s resonant frequency can cause it to self-destruct). The piece was inconclusive (they simply didn’t have strong enough resonator equipment) but they were quite surprised that the small resonator they used could get the entire bridge going so well. (if “well” is the right word to use there).
Stosh
To add to what Sivens has indicated: Anyone familiar with the Tesla Oscillator also referred to as the ‘Tesla Earthquake Machine’ will quickly understand what may likely have caused the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Tesla had devised a device with a mechanism striking similar to a jackhammer. He found that by a adjusting the frequency (strikes per second) to the the resonant frequency of any structure to which it was attached that he could induce a vibration in the structure that was amplified with every strike until the structure collapsed. It just so happened that the rate of the jackhammer or rate of difference* of the jackhammers being used up until that fateful moment may have been just the right frequency. Tesla’s device was reportedly small enough to fit into his coat pocket (nearly a century ago). This may seem rather bizarre, but I think the manner in which the bridge span collapsed will ultimately bear this out.
*Two or more jackhammers may have set up a strong beat frequency. This is what you hear when two notes are slightly out of tune.
I suggest that a study of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis should include the distribution of traffic on the bridge at the time of the collapse. Lanes were closed on the bridge because of resurfacing, and the choice of lanes to close may not have been optimal.
It appears from photographs that I have seen that the easternmost (downriver) lanes were closed on both the northbound and southbound roadways. The heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic was thus displaced westward (upriver) from the normal traffic distribution. This imbalance can create a severe torsional stress on the bridge that may have contributed to the structural failure.
If the inside lanes on both directions, or the outside lanes in both directions, had been closed instead, the torsional stress would have been minimized. Torsion caused by moving all traffic toward the west side could have overstressed the trestle, and it may have been a cause of the eastward displacement of the southern pier.
There is nothing in the way the bridge collapsed to suggest torsional stress. One would expect to see twisting towards. The displacement you suggest is far less than if there was and accident blocking traffic in one direction or another or even the difference between rush hour traffic going in one direction or the other. Which perhaps is not a situation common for that particular bridge but it is a typical situation of many bridges in many cities. As are accidents resulting in backups in one direction or the other.
One would hope that since the Tacoma Narrows bridge (is “collapse” the right word?) that seismic tests have been performed and recorded to determine the open-air resonant frequency of all bridges at a given temperature.
Having the resonant frequency on record somewhere for a given temperature should (I think) be enough information for the U of M researches to determine if a jack-hammer was/wasn’t responsible.
Well, we may need some audio recorded just before the event. In these days of every-thing surveillance, and note-taker mp3 players, that shouldn’t be too hard to find. That will give them the exact frequency of the jack-hammer on the bridge. Interestingly, based on the analog nature of a jack-hammer’s drive, it could have actually synchronized its oscillations to the bridge’s resonant frequency (the bridge having much greater mass than the jack-hammer).
-Stosh
I wonder if it is possible to set up an “early-warning system” for bridges using modern technology, i.e., laser beams and sensors that can detect any unusual/unplanned disfiguring/strain patterns
that can trigger an alarm? Sensor networks can
be made quite sophisticated.
The Collapse of the 35 W Bridge may be due to Minneapolis’s refusal to complete the Tibetan Sand Mandela Ceremony – and preserving the Mandela, instead of pouring it into the river.
There has been precious little coverage in the national media of the presence of tons of gravel-filled construction trucks (at rush hour, no less!) on this #4-rated, aging, span. What gives? Who was responsible for over-stressing this already shaky structure? If anyone has a link to a story covering the construction equipment, please send it or post it.
I also find it interesting that Gov. Pawlenty, the very man who twice vetoed infra-structure funding for Minnesota, has been using the bridge for news photo ops, shedding crocodile tears over the victims, advocating funding now that the bridge has already collapsed!!!! No folks, it’s not “too soon” to think about these matters. Unless, of course, you’re a diehard Pawlenty fan.
To: Doug, Kendall Nix, and all other M.O.P. (Media Owned Party) faithful,
Ok lets see if we can get all of this out of the way for you folk. The REPUBLICAN Governor of the state, Pawlenty, was sitting in his office the night before putting the final touches on his evil plan, no, his evil “design” to cause the 35W bridge to collapse and kill his fellow Americans.
Why did he “design” such an evil plan to collapse the bridge? Because he is a REPUBLICAN, and as everybody knows, all REPUBLICANS are really terrorists (excepting that small handful of M.O.P. representatives who just call themselves republicans for political expediency).
We know REPUBLICANS ARE THE REAL TERRORISTS because we have absolute scientific consensus that the twin towers disaster was actually a PLANNED CONTROLLED DEMOLITION that was “designed” by the EVIL REPUBLICAN DICK CHENEY, and carried out on the orders of the EVIL REPUBLICAN GEORGE BUSH who was SELECTED AND NOT ELECTED, and who LIED ABOUT WMD.
Ok. I think that covers most of the rage-driven M.O.P. talking points you guys feel the uncontrollable need to perseverate on ad-infinitum …seriously, you’re like iPods stuck on repeat mode….
Now that we’ve gotten all this out here in the open air where everybody can see it and bask in the glory of its journalistic wisdom, can we move on?
Has anyone observed journalists in the area moving beyond descriptions of the collapse? In other words, are any local journalists or other news outlets empowering the public with prescriptions that will help people get involved to help prevent this type of thing from happening in the future?
My thoughts on this topic are here – http://robdubinski.wordpress.com/
The latest national stories (USA Today, NY Times)on the bridge are focussing on the “flawed gussets.” And perhaps the gussets WERE flawed. But they worked for 40 years and they continue working on other bridges. What was different on the day of the tragedy was more than ONE HUNDRED ADDITIONAL TONS of construction material, yes folks, weighing down an already deteriorating structure. Whose decision was it to place all that extra weight on this rusty, shaky, old bridge? Why have news stories minced around this critical factor?
All,
An unfortunate tragedy and all due sympathy/condolences to those touched. Rarely, does a collapse or event on this scale occur without many contributing factors being present at the same time. Unbalanced loads, overweight construction equipment, stop and go traffic oscillations,, rumbling trains, an aging structure and perhaps even a 1967 design oversight or substandard materials sustitution are all suspect contributions to the collapse. Even the air temperature may have played a role. The most insightful comment read thus far is that the bridge may have been on the brink of collapse for some time.
At the location of initial structural collapse, the truss flopped over on its side, as opposed to the remainder, which fell down and crushed itself (saving many lives in the process). No doubt the NTSB folks have seen this and will tell us (please) exactly which gusset or rivet gave way first in this tradgic play of circumstancs.
Mean people to build something defective and expect other taxpayers to fix it. Sort of like the tunnel piece collapsing in Boston 2006, and, levees collapsing in NOLA in September 2005, during Hurricane Katrina (lack of proper maintenance since 1970s). Must be the meanest people.
Unless there is some cement molecular disturber Batman does not know about. Or, those ground shocks from some inner USA foot army/cult got ahead of maintenance projected costs.
Annie
Does anyone else notice the fine print to the right of the white column for comments? In the gray column and at the bottom so you can see it while typing in this screen: “SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH.”
???
Annie
SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
It’s the 4th book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. No idea why it’s there, though.
A a retired civil engineer having been involved in many highway projects, I have been studying the myriad of photos that haave been taken of the collapse. These photos, along with the video of the collapse taken from the south end looking north, have made me believe that the collapse began on the south end when the connection between the concrete column and the steel superstructure gave way. This collapse caused the structure to fall off to the east side.
When this happened, the connection to the south separated causing that section to fall. At this same time, the video shows that the main structure fell into the river starting at the south. This broke the connection at the pier just north of the river. When that connection broke, the next section nort collapsed directly over the next pier. When that happened it broke the next connection and that section fell onto the railroad. All of the shifting then caused the next northerly southbound section fell.
Don’t know if all that makes sense, but when I copied a section of the original plan off the MNDOT site and marked it up with the failed sections, it makes perfect sense to me.+
You know, it seems human nature to always want come up with one person or thing to blame when something happens. I don’t care who is at fault. I don’t even care why it fell. No matter what answers we get, it doesn’t change that it happened. Just look at it this way, it could have been worse. We are lucky not all of the lanes were open with normal rush hour and Twins traffic. I work with the Ramsey County Dive Team and arrived down there with in an hour of it falling. As I arrived under the 10th street bridge, I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. All I could think of was to take some pictures because I will never see this again. Silly isn’t it? I mean when you think about it. People just died, but I thought to take pictures… The next day as we were diving on it, it was quiet aside from things settling on the parts of the bridge that were still in the air. No one really talked. I took some more pictures in between dives. It took until a couple days ago for me to let other people look at them. It didn’t feel right. I just had to question why I took the picutres or why to show them. I guess human nature wants to help remember and see things. My dad also works for MNDOT and took me to see things from on the 10th street bridge. I understand why it’s closed. You just want to look when you are up there. I hope they don’t open it until the channel is clear. Otherwise there will be accidents. That’s the weird thing about this. You just want to look, you don’t know why, but you want to look.
I guess all I can say is that I am sorry for those who lost someone they loved. For those who made it off, I am glad that (if you call it luck or god) something helped you make it home to your loved ones. I hope that maybe when you realize that you made it home safe to your loved ones, that it gives you a warm feeling everynight and makes you appreciate small things a little more.