Boy I'm glad I didn't happen to be working in this area today...
Interstate 35W bridge over Mississippi River collapsed during rush hour tonight! I cross that bridge all the time... I know there aren't many MN people on these forums, but I hope your all OK!
AP link
AP link
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Hopefully there weren't many / no people on it.
They're still investigating the cause, and it could be awhile before they're able to pinpoint it. There are some theories, though, centering around a combination of overloading, sustained high temperatures, and potential misplacement of heavy construction equipment, but it's all just guesswork at this point. It was a fairly unique (and obviously non-redundant) design and was in mediocre condition. They were planning on replacing it around 2020, but I guess that'll happen sooner now.
~~NGD
I live near 65/133rd -- almost in Ham Lake.