Tragic Collapse Site Now Houses a Monumental Milestone
The new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis is a metaphor and a milestone. Rising above swirling waves of both the Mississippi and of controversy surrounding why and how it came to be built, it symbolizes a country’s ability to rebound from tragedy and the crucial infrastructure issues that America faces.
Just 13 months ago, on Aug.1, 2007, the nation was stunned by the collapse of the I-35W steel truss bridge, which killed 13 people. Now, the new 1,223-ft-long twin-span concrete crossing, called the St. Anthony Falls Bridge, is structurally complete. The design-build contractor team, led by a joint venture of Longmont, Co.-based Flatiron Constructors Inc. and Seattle-based Manson Construction Co., will earn the maximum bonus of $27 million on its $234-million contract if the bridge opens to traffic on Sept. 15.The Minnesota Dept. of Transportation announced Sept. 9 that the bridge could open to traffic as early as Sept. 16.