35W Bridge

If you know me, you know my story about the 35W bridge collapse. If you don't know me, Here is the story:

The tragedy that happened in Minneapolis on August 1st, 2007 will be a day that will never be forgotten. So many people were affected in so many different ways. I would be one of those people. I was just seconds away from being on that bridge. Here is what I saw and my story... I was on my way home from work, about a half and hour later than I usually would. I entered onto 35W going south from the Johnson Street exit. Traffic was bumper to bumper and I merged in. Slowly I made my way, stopping and going. I had gone under the 4th Street bridge and then the University Ave bridge when something caught my eye. On the bridge, I saw the lamp posts swaying from one side to the other. I also saw the cars getting tossed around on the bridge. I thought to myself, "what the hell kind of construction are they doing on that bridge to be making it look like that. I don't want to get on the bridge if it is doing that." Before I could even figure out what it could be, the bridge was gone and the dust from the bridge started toward me and the other cars. I had turned off my car but quickly turned it back on so I could roll up my windows and hide from the dust. I grabbed my cell phone and called my mother, and tried to explain what happened. People around me were getting out of their cars as well and looking at what used to be a bridge. A man in a van 2 cars away from me was looking out his window and said, "Is the bridge really gone?" A man on a motorcycle went up to him and said, "yeah, it collapsed." People just had a stunned look on their face. They did not know what they should do now. I counted how many cars I was behind the person who was next to be on that bridge. I would have been the 5th car.THE 5th!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I was about 75 feet away from where the bridge broke off. I saw construction workers running away from the bridge. It was true, the bridge was gone. When I had first gotten onto the interstate, a man on a motorcycle let me in. I had watched him behind me for a while and then he went into the other lane later down. When we were getting closer and closer to the bridge, he was right next to me. When the bridge went down, he was probably the 2nd person in his lane who would have been next onto that bridge. I was so relieved to see that he wasn't on that bridge and was safe. The cars ahead of me turned around and went up the entrance ramp onto the University Ave bridge. I then turned onto the 10th Street bridge to try to cross when I decided to park my car and take a look. I was in disbelief. So many cars, seeing some in the water, some on top of each other, and some crushed by the beams above the bridge that display exits. I took pictures from my phone to show what it looked like right after it happened. During this whole time I was shaking. I was in shock and disbelief. Soon, the police came on the bridge that I was on and ordered us off. I then just wanted to get home and be away from bridges all together. To know that I was just seconds away from being on that bridge scares the hell out of me. Everything that afternoon was different. The mom I babysat for was late, we ended up talking longer than we usually would. I also had to stop and get gas and had to go into the store cause I was on the phone with my mom and was distracted from using my credit card at the pump. Having to go into the store to pay probably is what saved my life. It's weird to think that there were people on Johnson street ahead of me that would have been on that bridge. I really did have someone looking out for me that day.


Since the bridge has collapsed and been rebuilt, I haven't been able to get myself to go over it. The only time I have been close to being near it is when I go to Dinkytown. Instead of going over the bridge and getting off at University Ave. I choose to take the way I learned when the bridge was being rebuilt. On the year anniversary of the collapse, I was at Sneaky Pete's in Downtown Minneapolis. I was in the middle of the bar balling my eyes out when they played a tribute to the collapse. I felt stupid for crying but I had some good friends there at my side to help me through it. I know that I was a lucky one for not being on that bridge but it still seems to have the same impact as if I was.

On Wednesday night, I was getting told how to go home from the dome to these guy's house that my friend knew. Before I could figure out where we were, we were driving across University Ave bridge. The same bridge that I went up the on-ramp to get myself onto the 10th street bridge. I saw the BP gas station that I turned around in and I started getting tears in my eyes. It brought back too many painful memories.

Then, the following morning, I had the chance to drive over it. But as we came up to the turn, I couldn't get myself to do it. I know that the only way I will get across that bridge without crashing from tears in my eyes is if someone else is driving. I have a big fear of going over bridges and think about the 35W bridge every day. Wednesday was the closest I have been to that bridge and I wasn't even on it. I can't imagine how I will be when I am crossing over it the first time.

The photo included in this post is one that I found months later that shows well where I was. The X is where my car was, the star is the end of the bridge approx.