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.......

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The Mississippi River in that area is relatively shallow, so
I’m hoping that Good Samaritans can somehow save these folks in the river, if the paramedics aren’t on the scene already.

[maggief]

[kcvl]

I agree! I think Shep is doing the best he can with information coming in from everywhere and unconfirmed.

[null and void]

Fixed it:

Bless all that people, But today is August first, it's 7:10 let see how long it takes for the DemocRats to blame this on President Bush

[Solson]

Tim Pawlenty - a good Republican.

[ArcadeQuarters]

Heavy smoke now.

[Clara Lou]

accumulated metal fatigue and corrosion over the years
Some bridge inspector is gonna be in biiiiiiig trouble.

[tgslTakoma]

Somebody may have already posted this page with info on the bridge.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.

Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Lewis, Jr., May 9, 1798

[steveo]

sorry, dead weight is much different than live weight. the bridge would have been designed to hold that much dead weight. ROP and if I’m wrong...

[terilyn]

Pawlenty (R)

FBI being called in

[mylife]

Yeah, on the west side of the river

[AliVeritas]

California new scaffolding on a bridge yesterday, ten minutes after a Nord fire... (guy cited last year for shoddy work), now this? I guess the jihadists don’t have to work hard on them with our politicians either not funding repairs, letting their friends get away with clipping contracts pricey yet cheap work, or not spending to have the bridges watched properly. But i’m ahead of myself. Any faults along there?

Any idea of the cause yet?

[meyer]

Im betting one of those supports in the river gave way, and that pulled down the entire span, including the sections over land.

Quite possible. It doesn't look like there was a modular approach to the structure. If one support goes, the whole thing is pulled down with it. It's all tied together.

Plus, I suspect that there's plenty of rusty fasteners there.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Thank you for the distinction.

[tioga]

I saw one rescue dude standing in the water next to a car, he was tethered to the shore.

[ArcadeQuarters]

And whether the contractor is friendly with any politicians.

[MNlurker]

makes sense, but it seems doubtful.

[silentknight]

Gawd people it wasn’t terrorism. Yeesh these comments just make all of us look stupid. Please.

[BurbankKarl]

I wouldnt be surprised if the public safety radio systems are overwhelmed also....