August 14, 2007 - As the Minnesota Department of Transportation moves ahead with rebuilding the I-35W bridge, some are asking about making a place for a memorial at the site of the collapse. Midmorning discusses the challenge of creating a public memorial and commemorating victims meaningfully.
August 15, 2007 - Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak gives his pre-budget address to the City Council. He had planned to give it earlier, but the I-35W bridge collapse and its aftermath postponed it until now.
August 15, 2007 - State lawmakers will weigh in today on the proposed design for a new 35w bridge. That design, released yesterday, calls for ten lanes for traffic. That's one more in each direction but right now, it doesn't include room for a future light rail line. At today's hearing before a joint session of the House and Senate transportation committees, lawmakers will hear from leaders at MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council. But Republican state representative Mary Liz Holberg says she was hoping to also hear from Minneapolis city officials.
August 15, 2007 - Two high profile bridges span the St. Louis River and the Duluth harbor; connecting that city with Superior, Wisconsin. Each year one of those bridges gets a routine safety examination. But in the wake of the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis two weeks ago, both get a look this summer. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher joined a Wisconsin inspector on a nearby bridge in Superior to learn what the experts look for. Every bridge has a personality, and this one is pretty tame. It's an overpass bridge, built in 1962, to carry Highway 53 over a city street. It's called a deck girder bridge, considered a strong and reliable design, with redundant support if something should fail. Inspector Allan Bjorklund looked for problems during an unofficial inspection. He shows how a routine inspection works.
August 15, 2007 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on preview of the coming budget from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. The city of Minneapolis will put more money into maintenance and repair of bridges and roads in the coming year, according to Mayor R.T Rybak. Rybak was due to deliver his 2008 budget, but the collapse of the I-35W bridge delayed that plan. The bridge disaster also forced Rybak to shift budget priorities and to plan for more money in public works.
August 15, 2007 - A joint House-Senate committee has just completed a hearing this afternoon on the I-35W bridge design. State lawmakers pressed officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation on what the design will look like, the quick timeline on getting the bridge rebuilt and whether MnDOT listen to the concerns of the public in the design. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck has more.
August 15, 2007 - State legislators will discuss the design for a new Interstate 35-W bridge during a House-Senate hearing this afternoon. Minneapolis officials are unhappy that the plans for the bridge don't include a light rail line. State transportation officials have said including LRT is too expensive and will cause too much delay in rebuilding the bridge. Minneapolis City Council member, Paul Ostrow, says legally the city has the right to not give its municipal consent if the new bridge design does not meet the city's standards.
August 15, 2007 - Engineers planning the replacement of the I 35W bridge over the Mississippi in Minneapolis were told today to be aware of issues which may slow their ambitious rebuilding schedule. Minnesota officials are promising the ribbon will be cut on a new span a year from this fall. However various local officials want planners to allow time for more public comment on the design of the new bridge. And University of Minnesota vice president for operations Kathleen O'Brien reminded state officials that removing the debris of the old span and construction of a new one will occur literally a few yards from one of the U's research facilities. State officials put the price tag of a new 35W bridge at $250 million. However, they say the cost could rise to well over $300 million when demolition and other expenses are added.
August 15, 2007 - The public will have a chance to weigh in on the preliminary bridge design at hearings this week. But some think this is too late to have a real impact on what the bridge will look like, or to make changes such as where the light rail line will be.
August 15, 2007 - Midday previews legislative hearings on new I-35W bridge reconstruction plans in a joint House-Senate transportation committee meeting, now that state transportation officials have unveiled a preliminary design. Gary Eichten talks with numerous legislators and takes listener calls.