Minneapolis

Are we missing anyone that lives in that area? I just heard about the bridge collapsing into the Mississippi River. I -35 W. That interstate intersects the nation here in Oklahoma with I-40 with n/s and e/w travel. Check in and let us know you're ok! Liz

oh WOW....I did not hear about that.....I hope all are counted for

i saw that on the news a few minutes ago. as a kid that was my worst nightmare, i would get so scared on bridges. I used to have recurring nightmares about the West Side Drive (an elevated highway in Manhattan) and the George Washington Bridge.

I was jus****ching news coverage of the collapse myself. This isn't the first time we have heard of bridge collapses in this country and it makes me wonder if some of our older structures are vulnerable. To makes matters worse the collapse happened during rush hour. Not to even mention what the closing of a major highway is going to do to the Minneapolis traffic on an ongoing basis. The only bridges that ever gave me some concern was the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge in the Bay Area because of the earthquakes. Just like the Skyway Bridge collapse in Florida and most other bridge collapses, vehicles continue to plunge into the waterways below because they cannot see the situation at hand prior to going over the edge. If anyone recalls the Skyway Bridge collapse, a whole bus full of Senior Citizens went into Tampa Bay and all perished.

About 5 or 6 years ago, Oklahoma had part of an I-40 bridge was struck by a barge and collapsed, killing around 14 people. The problem? The bridge makers or Corps of Engineers (someone), didn't put "bumpers" on the bridge pilings as are required for a navigational channel. The bridge was over the Arkansas River and is very much a navigational channel. Tugs and barges carrying things down to the Mississippi or over to Arkansas are too numerous to calculate. And all it would have taken to save those people were about 30 used tires rigged together to bumper the pilings. 3 weeks after it was reopened, I had a reason to go to Ft. Smith, AR. I'm telling you, that 2/10ths of a mile bridge was SCARY driving over it. Especially since they had put up a monument to the people who had perished. Liz

I am Operations Manager for a trucking company, I had to talk a rookie driver out of a tree tonight, he was a half mile from going across that bridge when it came down, he is still all sorts of freaked out. I had to get him out of the truck and into a hotel until he calms down. I used to drive cross country, I have driven over bridges from one end of this country to another, it weighs on your mind sometimes. They still say there are people trapped in the rubble.

Glad your employee was not harmed physically. I *personally* never think of it until I'm stopped on a bridge and you can feel it moving. That's skeerie..

It would've freaked me a bit, too. Glad he's ok. I heard this am on the news they're not expecting to find anymore survivor's, but there's always hope. I hope the rescuers find at the minimum one or two more people alive.

I have been on that bridge thousands of times, it is only about 20 minutes from where I live and about 5 miles from where I work. I am thankful, I wasn't on the bridge when it collapsed.

Well, your guardian angels were on over time that day. I, too, am thankful you weren't on it. Hopefully no one you knew was on it, either. Glad to hear you're ok!