Travel Information Following Collapse of Minneapolis Bridge

August 2, 2007

Travel Information Following Collapse of Minneapolis Bridge
Aug. 2, 2007 –The Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed during rush hour Wednesday evening, killing at least four and injuring many more. The 1,907-foot bridge fell into the Mississippi River and onto roadways below, causing dozens of vehicles to fall with the bridge.

The missing piece of Interstate 35W will force southbound commuters and bus riders from the northeast suburbs to take alternate routes into Minneapolis indefinitely. More than 100,000 vehicles a day typically used the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced early Thursday that Hwy. 280 will be the primary route to replace the closed section of 35W. Hwy. 280 will be converted to a temporary freeway with no stoplights, meaning access to and from Broadway Av. and County Road B will be closed.

Jim Kranig, director of Regional Transportation Center in Roseville said motorists should consider taking I-694 to I-94 into downtown. I-35W remains open to Stinson Blvd., and then it’s closed to I-94. Coming from the south, there is no access to I-35W from I-94.

Transport officials suggest that motorists who need to get to the University of Minnesota from the north should use Hwy. 280 to University Av. From the south or west, take I-94 to Huron Blvd.

Metro Transit announced that it would add 25 extra buses from 6 to 9 a.m. from north metro park-and-ride locations to downtown Minneapolis starting today.

"We’re developing plans as we go along. We’re monitoring this all day," Kranig said.

Transportation Center officials will have traffic spotters at places with no cameras and State Highway Patrol helicopters will help gather information.

Construction workers had been repairing the 40-year-old bridge’s surface as part of improvements along that stretch of the interstate. The bridge was last inspected in 2006 and had no major structural defects or deficits.

For more traffic information, visit metrotransit.org or call 612.373,3333 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The city of Minneapolis will also offer route information on the city’s Web site at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/.