Six months after collapse, 35W bridge rebuild is ahead of
scheduleby Dan Olson, Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota witnessed
its worst transportation disaster ever six months ago today. The
collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in
Minneapolis on August 1st killed 13 and injured dozens. The new
span being built to replace the bridge that collapsed is one of
the most publicly scrutinized construction jobs ever. The
engineer in charge, Peter Sanderson, takes every opportunity to
tell people the new span will be safe and durable. Minneapolis,
Minn. — There are more than 200 construction workers at the site
next to the Mississippi River in Minneapolis where the old
bridge collapsed and where the new one is being built. The first
plan was to cast the individual concrete bridge segments down-
river and use barges to haul them to the site. That changed when
engineers realized there's room on the currently closed freeway
roadbed next to the river for the casting sheds. The four-story-
tall metal casting