Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : I-35 collapses in Minneapolis
Drazan
08-02-2007, 02:28 AM
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_213191448.html
I've been on this road many many times.
:eek:
I know many people in the cities as well. I hope everything turns out ok, They haven't released much information at all.
:(
Red Kittie Kat
08-02-2007, 03:02 AM
Wow .... i just turned the news on and saw this ... unbelievable
cornfed
08-02-2007, 03:07 AM
It is unbelievable. I'm disguisted that the red cross asked for money on cnn....the news anchor had to say "And you guys are short on blood too, isn't that correct?" "Uh, yes that is correct. You can go to our website to find out where to go to donate."
It is unbelievable. I'm disguisted that the red cross asked for money on cnn....the news anchor had to say "And you guys are short on blood too, isn't that correct?" "Uh, yes that is correct. You can go to our website to find out where to go to donate."
:confused:
Red Kittie Kat
08-02-2007, 03:37 AM
I just saw that clip from cnn .. asking for money.
They said due to construction, two lanes were shut down so there were only 50 cars on the bridge .. so a small blessing in all of this .. it is normally bumper to bumper.
Drazan
08-02-2007, 03:46 AM
So far a confirmed 6 dead - not releasing any names. One of my old aquaintences is ok..as I just found out he's in jail. heh.
There's dozens that were able to get to safety or were sent to the hospital.
Mayo, here in Rochester, actually sent up "Mayo One" helecopter and is on standby for any other possible help. As well as upping the network for emergency personnel to be sent from Owatonna or Rochester to help out if things get tight in the twin cities hospitals.
not good :(
icekitty37
08-02-2007, 03:48 AM
It's pretty scary. It freaks me out too since they have been redoing highways in Houston for years now. They don't really even close the low roads while building the ramps and bridges over them! I'm always nervous...
cornfed
08-02-2007, 03:50 AM
I hate that very thing when I have to drive through Beaumont, icekitty. I get a headache everytime I'm there cause 18 wheelers are inches from my car!
I came home from a meeting tonight to a phone message from my daugthter telling me about the collapse. She was worried because my sis lives there and commutes quite a ways. When I turned on the tv my heart sank, then immediately called her with no answer. Talk about freaking out!
My sis takes 35W everyday. My brother in-law's brother crossed that bridge twice today and the last time was at 4:15. Everybody so far that is close to me is okay.
I am horrified. I have a real fear of bridges and guess where we are going on Friday? Yep..headed to the Cities.
Tomorrow, I may go donate blood. I never do that, but that's the least I can do.
cornfed
08-02-2007, 03:58 AM
I would encourage everyone to donate blood on as regular a basis as you can. It's just the right thing to do and doesn't take a lot of time. When I had babies, though, I had my family go in and donate blood that was specifically set aside for my use in the event that I needed it. That's another good idea for all you wanna be moms!
Neballer
08-02-2007, 04:08 AM
This is super pancaking freaky. I ride under that bridge all the time. On the North side, we drink beer right underneath the bridge where it smashed the train. There is a service road we take to see my buddies play in Dinkytown. On the south side (West River Parkway) there is a commuter trail that we ride all the time.
some pics of the bridge before:
http://www.angelsoftheweek.com/carp/07bridge01.jpg http://www.angelsoftheweek.com/carp/07bridge02.jpg http://www.angelsoftheweek.com/carp/07bridge03.jpg
Drazan
08-02-2007, 04:16 AM
:confused: I'm glad you're ok Nebs.
I'm having a meet this weekend on another forum an another person from there lives "right" next to it. I haven't heard back from them yet. :(
I know I have to go to sleep to get up in the morning, but who knows how much "sleep" I'll actually get. This has me tweaked a bit.
Samakimoto Graphics
08-02-2007, 06:22 AM
I saw it and heard on the early morning news here.
It was shocking. I wonder what went wrong?
Nice shots neballer.
SpugNothuson
08-02-2007, 09:37 AM
I've also just heard about this on the News, shocking!
I'm amazed the fatalities are so low, and thankful.
Also I agree with Cornfed. If you can give blood you should. I give 3 times a year now and I've still not given back the amount I've had pumped into me from donators.
I just had on the local news from Minneapolis and there are 20-30 people missing. I'm not liking that.
Drazan...have you heard from your friend yet?
cornfed
08-02-2007, 04:03 PM
I can only imagine how offended the people in Minneapolis are with Bush's news conference. He totally turned this into a party dispute over passing spending bills. Hell, I'm in Louisiana and I'm offended. That's as cheesy as the red cross coming out and asking for money within the first few hours of the tragedy. I can't wait until he leaves and I can't wait for people to attack him for the crassness of this press conference.
Mynock
08-02-2007, 04:22 PM
That and the effect that he pronounced our govenor's name wrong, a "up and comer" in his own party. I would expect nothing less from president.
I can only imagine how offended the people in Minneapolis are with Bush's news conference. He totally turned this into a party dispute over passing spending bills. Hell, I'm in Louisiana and I'm offended. That's as cheesy as the red cross coming out and asking for money within the first few hours of the tragedy. I can't wait until he leaves and I can't wait for people to attack him for the crassness of this press conference.
I am so glad you saw that...because I was totally dumbfounded with what I was hearing! I thought that was incredibly, incredibly out of line in the wake of such horrific events. Our local news press conference with the Governor Pawlenty, Mayor RT Rybak, and our Senators Coleman and Klobuchar was very comforting and I think they tried to take the sting out of the words of our president this morning.
The words from the president this morning were extremely disturbing.
Satchel
08-02-2007, 07:00 PM
OH man... I missed the presidents conference, but I can only imagine!
D-Frag
08-02-2007, 07:05 PM
ive crossed that bridge more times then I can count, thankfully my family is okay up there. scary stuff.
Aerix
08-02-2007, 07:11 PM
Wow, scary stuff. I have to drive on a bridge-tunnel-bridge across the Chesapeake Bay, I'm always paranoid that something could happen. Glad that so far the deaths have been minimal, thoughts and prayers to those who have lost.
cornfed
08-02-2007, 07:12 PM
I noticed that FoxNews cut him off when he started the rant about congress. Then I switched to cnn. They let him go a little longer and then cut him off, too!!
D-Frag
08-02-2007, 07:29 PM
Am i the only one who finds this pretty horrid?
The bridge had been inspected by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in 2005 and 2006 and no immediate structural problems were noted, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Wednesday.
"There were some minor things that needed attention," he said. "They notified us from an engineering standpoint the deck might need to be rehabilitated or replaced in 2020 or beyond."
A federal database, however, showed the 40-year-old bridge had been rated as "structurally deficient" in 2005 and possibly in need of replacement, the Star Tribune reported citing the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Bridge Inventory.
"We've seen it, and we are very familiar with it," Jeanne Aamodt, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said of the 2005 assessment. She noted that many other bridges around the country carry the same designation that the I-35W bridge received, and she declined to say what the agency was going to do to address the deficiencies found in 2005.
They knew it had problems, yet didn't fix it the right way. The dept of transportation should be held responsible. Its total negligence and it costs alot of people there loved ones.
Drawing a Blank
08-02-2007, 07:35 PM
Wow, scary stuff. I have to drive on a bridge-tunnel-bridge across the Chesapeake Bay...
Aerix how often do you drive across the bridge-tunnel? I go that way to VA Beach and when I go to Richmond to visit my brother. I actually had to drive my mother in-law's car across it because she hates bridges.
Mynock
08-02-2007, 07:38 PM
I hate rushes to judge. Can't we wait awhile before we assign blame. There are still people missing. Still cars summerged. There around thousands of bridges with the same rating applied to them. Are we suppose to fix them all? Who's going to pay for it? Let's not be hyper active in trying to resolve this situation, if you can even have prevented it.
Mynock
08-02-2007, 10:54 PM
There are 1,172 "structuraly defienct" bridges in Minnesota. All it really means it's outdated and needs to be eventually replaced. It's just a term applied as a ranking they could have just rated a 12 or B.
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/trn_bri_str_def-transportation-bridges-structurally-deficient
icekitty37
08-03-2007, 04:58 PM
They said they are still looking for people and bodies today. That is pretty bad... :-\
Mynock
08-03-2007, 05:04 PM
They found one more body yesterday in the rubble so the confirmed total is 5. There are still 8 missing I think. They are searching 9 upwater contacts today. The four contacts from yesterday, only one was a car from this accident. One was a car from earlier unrelated and the last two were rubble underwater.