<p>On Wednesday 1 August 2007, during evening rush hour, the bridge for Interstate Highway 35W across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis near the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus collapsed. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1338294.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1338294.html</a> </p>
<p>I used to drive on that bridge each time I took my son to his mathematics class at the University. The entire bridge is a wreck, so this will have a major influence on traffic near the U of MN for quite a long time. There is other road access to all parts of the University campus, and alternate routes are likely to be very congested. News about the whole situation is still very confused, but it appears that rescue efforts are proceeding calmly and professionally.</p>
<p>How will this impact the University? Any thoughts?</p>
<p>There will probably be still more encouragement of students to use public transportation.</p>
<p>Of the three major freeway access points to the U, two were on 35W and are now closed. Leaving one on a congested stretch of 94 which will be even more congested due to the detoured traffic. Move in day will be even more chaotic.</p>
<p>Do you think that state funding to the U in anyway will be cut and directed to the recovery process?</p>
<p>I wouldn't think so. The state is already getting some money from the Federal Government, and I would imagine there is more to come, and the State will likely pull money from other construction projects that are non-essential.</p>
<p>Today I made my first trip to campus since the bridge collapse. The traffic was fine and the parking was fine. (This is usually a quiet time of year at the U of MN campus.) I exited the short segment of I-35W that leads north from I-94 just fine to take the Washington Avenue bridge across the Mississippi River to the East Bank part of the campus. Later I took the same bridge across the river again to the West Bank, and I ended my trip by taking 19th Avenue South to the Seven Corners intersection and then took Washington Avenue east from Seven Corners to get onto I-35W south, connecting back to I-94 west. No problemo. </p>
<p>The 10th Avenue bridge is still closed to vehicle traffic, but I couldn't tell as I drove near it whether it is open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic again. Anyway, there is still plenty of access to the U of MN campus from all directions. This weekend the I-94 interchange with state highway 280 (the detour when the I-35W bridge is not available) will be rebuilt to add more traffic lanes, so it is closed this weekend, but traffic should be workable for the State Fair (near the U of MN St. Paul campus) and for the first week of school. Students who live in the University dormitories, or in private housing in Dinkytown or Stadium Village should notice little or no change in their day-by-day routines. Mostly it's commuter students who used to drive in from the north along I-35W who will be inconvenienced by the bridge being out. </p>
<p>As could be expected, the current issue of the Minnesota Daily has extensive coverage of the bridge collapse. One Minnesota Daily photo editor lives just minutes away from the north (East Bank) end of the bridge, so she was on the scene almost immediately.</p>
<p>I’m reviving this old thread to note that I like the new bridge and have driven across it quite a few times.</p>