Bridge Down

I thought I’d be posting about the first night of the Fringe Festival.

So far it seems like all of our friends are accounted for. My manager was doing a roll-call yesterday morning just to make sure at work.

Neither Wendy nor I can remember the last time we were on the 35W Bridge. We’ve been avoiding the area because of construction. But Wendy drove over that bridge many times last winter to get to a rehearsal in Nordeast.

The inspection ratings for the other bridges in the area are on the web. The Franklin Ave. bridge actually has a slightly lower rating. I found a report on it and read it. They think although there are problems at the water line and below, it is basically safe because the piers are so massive. Still, I may find other ways to cross the Mississippi. The two bridges I use most often (the Mendota Bridge and the Ford Parkway Bridge) have both been rebuilt (Mendota bridge around 1992-3 and Ford just last year).

It’s so surreal to watch the video of the bridge going down. The west bank pier or truss seems to give out first. I’m not an expert, that’s just what it looks like. Today the WCCO website had video of an area of rust near the pier.

Thank God we’re safe. But you feel so much for the families that have been touched by this. It so easily could have been us.