I’ve been home in Minnesota for a week, and had planned some kind of sassy re-acclimating post, but jet lag and laziness were getting in the way. Then yesterday, while eating dinner, my friend got a phone call about the Interstate 35W Bridge collapsing over the Mississippi River. I couldn’t put it together in my head. Wait, which bridge? Where? By Cedar and 10th? I’ve driven over that bridge so many times (just Tuesday, as a matter of fact) on my way to the University that it didn’t even occur to me that it was a bridge. It was just that crappy part of 35W before the lane-merging snarl for 94 westbound and 55 and some downtown exits. I’ve sat at a dead stop on that bridge so many times and let my mind wander towards the sun setting behind the Minneapolis skyline.
I wasn’t really able to picture what had happened until we walked over to a sports bar (the restaurant we were in didn’t have a TV) and saw the helicopter pictures. Over 100,000 people use that bridge every day – everyone knows someone who commutes home over it, and 6:05 was the heart of rush hour.
I’m safe, everyone I know is safe. Oh my city…
Photo by Noah Kunin, who lives extremely close to the bridge. See his blog post for more info, or the rest of his photo set of the bridge collapse.
Filed under: Midwest
