I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge: The Birth

I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge: The Birth
Group Name: Apple
Group Members: Matt Alley, Jessica Awaijane, Eric Best, Aaron Cain, Ashley Carmichael


Analyzing Our Historical Site Using the Circuit of Culture

Witness the collapse for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osocGiofdvc




Introduction:
During the peak of rush hour on the evening of August 1, 2007 at approximately 6:05 PM in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge buckled and collapsed into the river and onto the surrounding land. 13 people died and 145 people were injured. This event called for the creation of the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge, costing approximately $52.4 million dollars. Based on a 2005 estimate, around 141,000 cars pass over this bridge daily. This bridge is maintained by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). The bridge now holds 10 lanes of the I-35W freeway with 5 going in each direction. This is two more lanes that the old I-35W Bridge. It has 323 sensors that help to keep track of deck movement, stress, and temperature of the bridge. This bridge has history written all over it and Apple of CSCL 1001 has attempted to break it down and find the culture among it all for our readers.

Presentation/Representation:
Ever since the I-35W Bridge Collapse, I think it is safe to say that many people, particularly Minnesotans, are apprehensive about their daily bridge crossings. I am not proposing that every person necessarily worries that the bridge they are traveling on will collapse, but I am sure that an amount of time and thought is dedicated to the I-35W Bridge.

This is to say that the signifier chain being created by the new bridge, or any other bridge for that matter, works like this:
Any bridge > Memory of Bridge Collapse and the old bridge > Apprehension of traversing across bridges > Crossing the bridge or Avoiding the Bridge

The tone of the new bridge seems to be somber and sturdy. It certainly is impossible to cross the new bridge without remembering the event and those affected by it. The only people that would not think of the bridge as a somber structure are those that aren’t familiar with the history of the event. The bridge also represents elements of sturdiness in its tone, as any bridge should, because its job is to be sturdy and safe, but I feel that the new bridge was designed to look and feel sturdier as a designed assurance that this would not happen again.

Some arguments around the bridge may be how it interacts with people that use it throughout the day. I pose this as an argument because of the bridges dual nature as both a tool we use to get to places, but also as a symbol of the old bridge. Its primary function is for people to travel safely to opposite banks of the Mississippi River.

Identity/Perspective:
The ones who use the bridge are the people who drive because the only way to get across the bridge is to drive. There are not lanes or sidewalks for bicycle riders and pedestrians. People that do not live around the area will most likely never use the bridge unless they happen to be visiting the area.

The people who care about the bridge and think it is important are the government and the community. The government cares because the collapse of the previous I-35W Bridge pointed out some of the flaws in the government system. Why did we suddenly care about all the other bridges immediately after the collapse? Why weren’t we keeping track of the status of each bridge all along? The community cares because this is their way of getting from one side of the river to the other side. If the bridge wasn’t safe for us before, is it now? We keep this in mind.

In order to use the bridge, one must know how to get there using the freeway system in the area. You have to know where you are going. The “common sense” assumption that is made about this bridge, as well as other bridges, as above explained in presentation/representation, is that the bridge will not collapse as we transport across it. It will get us from point A to point B without any unexpected conflict. We will be safe and move along with our days. After the collapse, although we may trust the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge more than other bridges because it is brand spankin’ new, we question the safety of each bridge for now on. Imagine the people who might avoid going over bridges now after this collapse.

When people use the new I-35W Bridge, others may think of you or you may think of others as someone who is taking care of business. You have to get somewhere so you take the freeway. The freeway involves going over a bridge…so what? If you think in terms of the history of this bridge, we remember the collapse and may even consider one who uses the bridge as a brave soul.

Production:
The bridge is not being run by a record label and is not shown on a network. It was not made by sweatshop labor in China and was not locally grown by community farmers. The author of the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge was the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The cost of making the bridge was $52.4 Million and this money came from spending bills, donors, and taxpayers. MnDOT’s slogan on their website is “your destination…our priority”. We could argue that MnDOT are the ones to blame when it comes to the failed structure of the old I-35W Bridge. It was their job to maintain it, after all. This bridge was created to replace the old bridge, and it only took 11 months because of the importance of the bridge in Minnesotan’s daily commute. Or perhaps, the process was sped up to cover up the faultiness of this government’s system.

Consumption:
The I-35W Bridge is a highly active part of many people’s lives. It is one of the busiest bridges in Minnesota, it is said to carry more than 140,000 vehicles a day. The I-35W Bridge acts like an agency to us and we the people are the agents that rely on it for transportation, to get us across the Mississippi River. When the I-35W Mississippi Bridge collapsed it cost $400,000 per day in lost revenue, and increased commuter expenses in surrounding areas. That is a lot of money, especially because it took 339 days to build the new I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge. In which the total cost of the new I-35W bridge cost more than $400 million. Since the new bridge has been built they are planning to make a memorial for the people who have died, were injured and survived. The memorial will have 13 pillars, one for each of the people who died. There will also be a wall with all the names of the people on the bridge at that time. And there will be an observation deck overlooking the river. This memorial is going to be the most expensive one made in Minnesota, costing $1.5 million. Overall the I-35W Bridge was built for the community and our needs. And the memorial is a signifier of history and the people who were lost during this hard time.

Regulation:
Before the time of the tragic collapse, the I-35W bridge was deemed “structurally deficient” on more than one occasion, though nothing had been done by the MN Department of Transportation (MNDot) or its engineers and employees. State inspectors of the bridge cited many flaws within the bridge, such as cracks in major support beams and heavy amount of rust along parts of the bridge, which were not fixed immediately, despite the obvious risks and danger involved, in addition to legal issues. This was all done under the noses of Minnesota urbanites, who unknowingly drove over the bridge until its collapse in August 2007.

The new bridge, along with many other bridges in the metropolitan area, were either inspected or fixed shortly after the collapse as a result of tax payer backlash over a lack of government oversight of our state’s roads and bridges, as well as more appropriated funds. The oversight was corrected, at least so far it seems they have, and the way the Minnesota government approaches transportation problems has changed.

The collapse itself was a result of underhanded acts from state employees cutting corners, which we are reminded of when we see and drive on the new bridge. Individuals, such as myself, who have used the old bridge many times, and whose family relies on the bridge multiple times a day in order to go about jobs and lives, are now more skeptical and hesitant of using such a bridge after our daily lives were disrupted.

The new bridge was built according to plans that “met and succeeded” government regulations, which also were improvements on the old bridge design. The true acceptance and regulation came from the people who use the bridge. In our personal opinions, though the bridge was built in just 339 days, almost 100 days ahead of schedule, the bridge looks safe and efficient. The new bridge has 10 lanes of traffic, is nearly twice as wide, has extremely wide shoulders, and will last an estimated 100 years, even picking up national transportation awards. Though this bridge was created as a result of a tragedy and the government has a vested interest in a trust with the people, we have given the bridge a stamp of approval.