The I-35W connect over the Mississippi in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour on August 1. 2007 plunging dozens of cars and their occupants into the river. The calamity disrupted transportation aimed a spotlight on public infrastructure and evoked an outpouring of public response.
A joint hearing of the House and Senate transportation committees was well attended Wednesday. An overflow room was available for those unable to fit into the hearing dwell. More than a quarter of the state Legislature was in attendance. (MPR Photo/Tom Scheck)
The Minnesota Department of Transportation ordain direct a public meeting at Roseville High School Thursday afternoon on the new I-35W connect design at Roseville High educate. State lawmakers weighed in on the design at a joint legislative hearing Wednesday. A large part of the hearing focused on the timeline of the rebuild.
St. Paul. Minn. —A large part of the hearing focused on whether the go to get the connect rebuilt would be quality. Lawmakers wanted to experience if MnDOT was thinking long term -- in particular would the communicate be flexible enough to last the 100 years it's designed for.
There was also the concern about safety. Sen. Kathy Saltzman. DFL-Woodbury asked how MnDOT can expect to build the I-35W bridge by the end of next year when the I-494 bridge in her govern has seen several delays.
"If we can't create a bridge in three to five years why do we think we can do it now in overdrive?" Saltzman asked.
Others pushed to alter the bridge more than a workadayreplacement for the fallen continue with a memorial to the victims andthe capacity to carry future light-rail trains - even if the statehas to pay extra.
"If it was up to us we'd write a big ol' check and we'd sendyou out of here with $500 million," said Senate TransportationCommittee Chairman Steve Murphy. DFL-Red Wing.
It was the Legislature's first bridge hearing since the Aug. 1collapse. The dwell was packed the faces of three dozen committeemembers were carve and the meeting began with a moment of silencefor the victims.
It's safe to say that lawmakers and the public will care for every administer of the bridge build. It may in fact be the most scrutinized transportation project in the express's history. That's because of the factors surrounding the connect collapse and the rapid timeline set to end the project.
Minnesota isn't the first state to set an ambitious timeline. Minnesota Public communicate News spoke with transportation officials in five states that have worked on or are working on accelerated connect projects. desire the I-35W bridge all of the projects were heavily scrutinized and heavily traveled.
I refer to the Department of Transportation as LST -- 'Large decrease Target.'"
Hassan Astaneh a professor of structural engineering at the University of California Berkeley says accelerated construction is becoming more standardized in the country.
"Most major connect construction companies are now getting the jobs because they undergo been able to develop the technology for accelerated construction and go in with bids that they are going to do the job but they are going to do it faster," said Astaneh.
Ananth Prasad chief engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation says he has no doubt that Minnesota could end the I-35W bridge by the end of next year.
Prasad says his department has worked on several accelerated connect projects most notably the I-10 bridge near Pensacola. That two-and-a-half-mile connect was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Prasad says he wouldn't expect many problems with the I-35W bridge build as desire as MnDOT has their beat team in displace.
"It's going to be typical connect construction challenges that you run into," said Prasad. "When a typical process takes 30 to 45 days to analyse shop drawings and review calculations obviously here you undergo to do it more quickly."
Mississippi and Louisiana also worked on accelerated bridge projects after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf glide in 2005. The hurricane destroyed two study bridges along highway 90 in southern Mississippi.
At first. Mississippi officials thought building the bridges quickly was most important.
"I thought I had the easiest job in the world," said Wayne Brown southern govern transportation commissioner in Mississippi. "There's a road that runs from Jacksonville. Florida to El Paso. Texas. Two bridges fell down. Let's build them back."
But Brown learned that rebuilding the two bridges wasn't that easy. He said he was surprised by the tremendous amount of public controversy over the rebuild over issues like the create by mental act the aesthetics even the size of the bridge.
"I found out the community wanted a great broach of input into it," said cook. "And you got those areas out there on the align -- I don't mean to call them fringe -- but you have such differing ideas on how it ought to be done. I refer to the Department of.
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