Breaking: Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis

KSTP TV 5/ME | 8/1/07 | Me

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Just turned on the news. 35W bridge collapsed in the Mississippi River. Cars, trucks, semis.....

Fires burning, tanker trucks, at least one school bus, more than ten cars......

Just now breaking.......

[Tennessee Nana]

LOL

The thread is running away...

:)

[jackv]

No kidding??? Pretty boy Coop on cnn is not great but not too bad either.

[CindyDawg]

Oh, I didn’t know. Coming in late. Prayers.

[HairOfTheDog]

All the way over the Missisippi? Guess I forgot how narrow it was up there.

Well, seeing as how I've never been there, I'm not normally an expert on Mississippi bridges ;~) but it was specifically asked and answered in one of the interviews that it spanned over the whole river, no pilings in the river.

[Ramius]

I do so hate threads like this. Whattabunchamaroons.

In a few days maybe I’ll have some info. I don’t have any information yet but it is safe to say that [ahem] a certain company is going to have somebody on the scene tonight. More people in airplanes on their way now. This is going to be a big deal in engineering circles for years to come.

Like the Hyatt skyway collapse, but bigger.

[Inverse]

I did not mean to imply that it was terrorism.

Just that when people say that it is unlikely because something requires knowledge, I get edgy.

That is a good way to underestimate your foes.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

No.

The Flyin’ Imams didn’t blow this bridge.

[Petronski]

And you’re a structural engineer? Materials specialist?

[proudCArepublican]

it is worse according to a reporter who was here in 1989 when the Bay bridge collapsed and did say it was worse

[Poser]

It has been in the mid 90’s for two straight weeks.

Not even a blip on the steel or concrete heat scale.

The bridge is 40 years old.

Youthful by bridge standards.

It is a four lane bridge, down to one lane during construction.

Reducing the load on the bridge.

Stopped traffic during rush hour.

Reducing the vibration.

C’mon........

If those conditions made bridges fall down, there wouldn't be any bridges left in most of the USA.

[Gideon7]

35W just came down right in front of my house

UPDATE 8:44pm: Aaron Landry here; Noah is being overwhelmed with phone calls so he gave me the keys to the castle to relay his updates. Here's a couple shots of Noah’s place is in comparison to the bridge:

UPDATE:

I’m at the Humphrey School waiting for a ride. We couldn’t take a car our any of our belongings. One cat was taken, one was left behind.

I’m shocked, but no longer shaking. Still sweaty from sprinting to river side to help rescue people. Didn’t see any dead or hurt on the West side of non existent bridge. Helped people off girders. My cell phone isn’t working like many of yours, so email me at noah@blanked-out.com if you need to. I have pictures, will upload later. Confirmed all of my friends (except one) who commute are safe.

Description of collapse: Surprisingly quiet, but my entire warehouse apt shook quite a bit. Bridge fell so very slowly - poof. Yelled and yelled but no one answered. Only a handful of ppl in water, all got out ok and then began to help as well. Ran into woman who thought school bus was trapped on east side in fold of highway. Couldn’t confirm it or get to the other bank to help.

more later…hope everyone is safe…

I live the closest to the 35W Bridge than anyone in Minneapolis and I watched it come down from my roof.

I spent 20mins getting people out and off the bridge.

I’m being evacuated.

PS This was not a bomb.

[jackv]

Starting to catch up....whew!!! lol!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - I figgered there were phone calls coming in there. We’ll have to wait for the TV show, probably.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I'm betting one of those supports in the river gave way...

Good guess. I believe bridge supports are to be inspected regularly. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if these funds hadn't been diverted to pay for social programs. Either that or the inspection work was handed to incompetent third party payola contractors.

[fatima]

The producer counted the cars and 2 buses in the water.I hope this is a mistake.

[I_Publius]

And another site. This one from the USGS that shows the river conditions at the MS River at St Paul. Once again, I know nothing about what I’m reading, but be someone out there does. :)

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/nwisman/?site_no=05331000&agency_cd=USGS

I’m still searching for an official depth at that bridge.

[txradioguy]

National GOP leaders in Minneapolis for summer meeting

Associated Press - August 1, 2007 3:04 AM ET

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - More than 200 National Republican leaders are in Minneapolis this week for the summer meeting of the Republican National Committee. They’ll be finalizing plans for next year’s presidential convention in the Twin Cities talking about the party’s prospects and how to improve them.

The theme of the meeting is “Republican for a Reason.”

The 4-day meeting opens today and runs through Saturday at the Marriot City Center in downtown Minneapolis.

First lady Laura Bush will appear Friday at a youth issues conference at the University of Minnesota, but it hasn’t been announced whether she’ll make an appearance at the Republican National Committee meeting.

http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=6868777&nav=menu239_2_1_2

[mplsconservative]

Hey Minne!

Glad to see you here and you are okay.

Tragic night here in Minnesota. Prayers indeed!

[cornfedcowboy]

well stated.

[Anticommie]

Just a couple of notes: - The Minneapolis airport was where the Muslim cabbie incident occurred a couple of months ago (the airport commission refused to allow cabbies to refuse fares because they might be carrying alcohol) - The bridge next to the collapsed bridge has no traffic on it. Precautionary?

Construction, lot of workers, equipment, perfect environment for act of terror. Terrorist could be disguised as construction workers, any movement or presence of individual (s) under or around the bridge would not cause any suspicion, unless there is a strict security on this type of construction (I seriously doubt it).