Wikimedia Commons / SEWilco The collapse galvanized national
interest in the state of U.S. infrastructure and inspired a
swift and remarkably innovative project to replace the fallen
roadway. The I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge (subject of the
May 2008 PM cover story) was open to traffic 13 months after its
predecessors collapse, three months ahead of schedule. The new
bridge was a role model for efficient project management; rather
than having builders wait months for tweaks, the design allowed
them to adapt on the fly to problems encountered during the
construction process. And it was a high-tech glimpse of civil
engineerings future, lit by durable, energy-efficient LEDs and
embedded with sensors that relay its condition to researchers at
the University of Minnesota. And nationwide, the collapse of
I-35W inspired a genuine, bipartisan populist outcry and became
a major factor in the political discourse. Americans demanded
shovel-ready projects and, specifically, progress toward
repairing the thousands of s