Clicking on the Web -- The question just recently was, "Where were you on July 20, 1969? That
was the day Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.
The question this week is "Where were you on Aug. 1, 2007? That was
the day when the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed killing 13 and
injuring many more.
by Howard Lestrud
ECM Online Managing Editor
The question just recently was, "Where were you on July 20, 1969? That was the day Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. The question this week is "Where were you on Aug. 1, 2007? That was the day when the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed killing 13 and injuring many more.
A special day of remembrance was held Saturday, Aug. 1 to commemorate the second anniversary of the bridge collapse. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak asked all Minnesotans and others to remember the victims, first responders, and all those affected by the collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge by observing a moment of silence at 6:05 p.m. last Saturday.
Go to HometownSource story on bridge collapse remembrance at http://hometownsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10095&Itemid=1
"On that Wednesday night two years ago we witnessed a horrible tragedy, but we also saw a state pull together to help one another through some of our darkest moments, Gov. Pawlenty said. "We continue to keep the victims of the bridge collapse and their family members in our hearts and prayers.
Mayor Rybak stated, "The resounding Minnesota spirit that has carried us forward makes it hard to believe two years have passed since that tragic day, said Mayor Rybak. "But not a day goes by that I don't think about the 13 lives who were lost and their families. It's also important to remember those who were on the bridge when it fell but survived the disaster – many who still struggle daily with both physical and emotional injuries as the result of the bridge collapse.
Gov. Pawlenty and Mayor Rybak unveiled a memorial design last year and are now in the process of personally recruiting leaders to serve on a fund-raising committee, which will work to raise just over $1 million to build the I-35W Bridge Remembrance Garden in Gold Medal Park.
The 35W Remembrance Garden Fund has been established at The Minneapolis Foundation to receive contributions in support of the design, construction and maintenance of a memorial that will remember the 13 individuals who died, the survivors and all those changed by the tragedy of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
The 35W Remembrance Garden has been designed by Tom Oslund in consultation with the survivors and the families of those who died in the collapse. To view illustrations of the architect's design, go to http://oaala.com/otb/35WRemembranceGarden/35WRemembrance.htm
To contribute to the 35W Remembrance Garden Fund, https://www.minneapolisfoundation.org/Giving/DonateNow?fund=176190
Established in 1915, The Minneapolis Foundation is one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations.
The Minneapolis Foundation manages nearly $700 million in assets, and administers more than 1,000 charitable funds created by individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits. More than $30 million in grants are distributed from these funds each year, either personally recommended by or in accordance with the legacy wishes of Minneapolis Foundation donors.
From Mayor Rybak's office in September of 2008, we read about the plans for the Remembrance Garden. Find out more at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/news/20080915newsmayor_35WRemembranceGarden.asp
The site of the Remembrance Garden, Gold Medal Park, just west of the I-35W Bridge, was a gathering place for many Minnesotans in the hours and days following the bridge collapse.
The Remembrance Garden will include 13 upright metal I-beams surrounded by an 81-foot rock square. Within the square will be a 65-foot wide circle plaza surrounding a 13-foot wide black granite round table fountain. Thirteen stainless steel bands will emanate from the center of the fountain, each ending at the base of an individual I-beam.
The features of the Remembrance Garden are symbolic of the lives affected by the bridge collapse. The names of the 13 people who died will be engraved on opaque glass faces on the inside of the 13 I-beams. The 81-foot dimension of the rock square references August 1, the date of the bridge collapse. The 65-foot diameter of the circular plaza references the time of the collapse – 6:05 p.m.
The concept and location of a suitable memorial came about after months of meetings between the families of those who died in the collapse and survivors of the tragedy. The design of the Remembrance Garden was developed when the families and survivors began working with Dr. William McGuire, whose foundation manages Gold Medal Park, and Tom Oslund, the landscape architect who designed Gold Medal Park.
"Locating this peaceful remembrance garden within Gold Medal Park, near the river, is important, Mayor Rybak said. "Victims' families and collapse survivors felt we needed to remember the lives lost and changed that day with a quiet green space, where so many people gathered to draw on communal strength and support in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy.
The Remembrance Garden designers hope that those who visit the memorial will also use this place to remember those who were on the bridge when it fell but survived the disaster – many who still struggle daily with both physical and emotional injuries as the result of the bridge collapse.
To read more about Bridge 9340, the I-35W bridge that collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007, go to the Wikipedia Web site at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge
To find out more about the new I-35W bridge, called the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge, go to the Wikipedia site at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Saint_Anthony_Falls_Bridge
The new I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge opened to traffic at 5 in the morning on Sept. 18, 2008.
The previous bridge was 113 feet wide and the new bridge is 189 feet wide. The new bridge also features 10 lanes of traffic, five in each directiontwo lanes wider than the former bridge. Read about some interesting statistics about the new bridge and also view construction photos and photos of the completed bridge. Go to the Minnesota Department of Transportation site at http://projects.dot.state.mn.us/35wbridge/index.html
ECM Online Managing Editor
The question just recently was, "Where were you on July 20, 1969? That was the day Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. The question this week is "Where were you on Aug. 1, 2007? That was the day when the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed killing 13 and injuring many more.
A special day of remembrance was held Saturday, Aug. 1 to commemorate the second anniversary of the bridge collapse. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak asked all Minnesotans and others to remember the victims, first responders, and all those affected by the collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge by observing a moment of silence at 6:05 p.m. last Saturday.
Go to HometownSource story on bridge collapse remembrance at http://hometownsource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10095&Itemid=1
"On that Wednesday night two years ago we witnessed a horrible tragedy, but we also saw a state pull together to help one another through some of our darkest moments, Gov. Pawlenty said. "We continue to keep the victims of the bridge collapse and their family members in our hearts and prayers.
Mayor Rybak stated, "The resounding Minnesota spirit that has carried us forward makes it hard to believe two years have passed since that tragic day, said Mayor Rybak. "But not a day goes by that I don't think about the 13 lives who were lost and their families. It's also important to remember those who were on the bridge when it fell but survived the disaster – many who still struggle daily with both physical and emotional injuries as the result of the bridge collapse.
Gov. Pawlenty and Mayor Rybak unveiled a memorial design last year and are now in the process of personally recruiting leaders to serve on a fund-raising committee, which will work to raise just over $1 million to build the I-35W Bridge Remembrance Garden in Gold Medal Park.
The 35W Remembrance Garden Fund has been established at The Minneapolis Foundation to receive contributions in support of the design, construction and maintenance of a memorial that will remember the 13 individuals who died, the survivors and all those changed by the tragedy of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
The 35W Remembrance Garden has been designed by Tom Oslund in consultation with the survivors and the families of those who died in the collapse. To view illustrations of the architect's design, go to http://oaala.com/otb/35WRemembranceGarden/35WRemembrance.htm
To contribute to the 35W Remembrance Garden Fund, https://www.minneapolisfoundation.org/Giving/DonateNow?fund=176190
Established in 1915, The Minneapolis Foundation is one of the nation's oldest and largest community foundations.
The Minneapolis Foundation manages nearly $700 million in assets, and administers more than 1,000 charitable funds created by individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits. More than $30 million in grants are distributed from these funds each year, either personally recommended by or in accordance with the legacy wishes of Minneapolis Foundation donors.
From Mayor Rybak's office in September of 2008, we read about the plans for the Remembrance Garden. Find out more at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/news/20080915newsmayor_35WRemembranceGarden.asp
The site of the Remembrance Garden, Gold Medal Park, just west of the I-35W Bridge, was a gathering place for many Minnesotans in the hours and days following the bridge collapse.
The Remembrance Garden will include 13 upright metal I-beams surrounded by an 81-foot rock square. Within the square will be a 65-foot wide circle plaza surrounding a 13-foot wide black granite round table fountain. Thirteen stainless steel bands will emanate from the center of the fountain, each ending at the base of an individual I-beam.
The features of the Remembrance Garden are symbolic of the lives affected by the bridge collapse. The names of the 13 people who died will be engraved on opaque glass faces on the inside of the 13 I-beams. The 81-foot dimension of the rock square references August 1, the date of the bridge collapse. The 65-foot diameter of the circular plaza references the time of the collapse – 6:05 p.m.
The concept and location of a suitable memorial came about after months of meetings between the families of those who died in the collapse and survivors of the tragedy. The design of the Remembrance Garden was developed when the families and survivors began working with Dr. William McGuire, whose foundation manages Gold Medal Park, and Tom Oslund, the landscape architect who designed Gold Medal Park.
"Locating this peaceful remembrance garden within Gold Medal Park, near the river, is important, Mayor Rybak said. "Victims' families and collapse survivors felt we needed to remember the lives lost and changed that day with a quiet green space, where so many people gathered to draw on communal strength and support in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy.
The Remembrance Garden designers hope that those who visit the memorial will also use this place to remember those who were on the bridge when it fell but survived the disaster – many who still struggle daily with both physical and emotional injuries as the result of the bridge collapse.
To read more about Bridge 9340, the I-35W bridge that collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007, go to the Wikipedia Web site at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge
To find out more about the new I-35W bridge, called the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge, go to the Wikipedia site at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Saint_Anthony_Falls_Bridge
The new I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge opened to traffic at 5 in the morning on Sept. 18, 2008.
The previous bridge was 113 feet wide and the new bridge is 189 feet wide. The new bridge also features 10 lanes of traffic, five in each directiontwo lanes wider than the former bridge. Read about some interesting statistics about the new bridge and also view construction photos and photos of the completed bridge. Go to the Minnesota Department of Transportation site at http://projects.dot.state.mn.us/35wbridge/index.html
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