deepseacatfish Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Wow, I hadn't checked the news or anything until today. My mom drives over the bridge just east of there when she goes to and from work and I've got a ton of friends in the twin cities area. Vibes to anyone who has someone involved, I'm glad that I don't (as far as I know), but I'll be checking in with my MN friends/relatives, scary. I've driven across that bridge many times. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 prayers to everyone affected by this. lucky thing that more people were not killed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
M. (hristine Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 [polticalrant]Infrastructure. Roads. Bridges. Sewers. Power grid. We need people with some vision for the future running this joint.[/politicalrant] Sorry, bobbob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Hope Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 My thoughts and prayers are with all you good folks in Minneapolis this is all so surreal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kathyp Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 So totally unreal, guys. My thoughts out to you in the Twin Cities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 [polticalrant]Infrastructure. Roads. Bridges. Sewers. Power grid. We need people with some vision for the future running this joint.[/politicalrant] Sorry, bobbob. actually there was a story on NPR this morning was that there has been massive amounts of federal funding in the last year or two towards infrastructure - and that the construction work on that bridge was funded by such. also, just a mention of Iraq doesn't have to be "political" - in the US, as a nation, we are so torn up about such disasters - as should be - but really have no concept of the carnage and destruction or reality of life in Iraq. I believe that was what he was saying - and I admit, it crosses my mind as well. Love and prayers to Minneapolis! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 There's a video on the front page of CNN showing the actual collapse caught by a security camera. It must have been so terrifying.....it happened so quickly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Serak_the_Preparer Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 as terrible as this is (and it is terrible), it's peanuts to what happens every single day in Iraq. I respectfully disagree. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 There's a video on the front page of CNN showing the actual collapse caught by a security camera. It must have been so terrifying.....it happened so quickly.Jesus, I just watched that. Jesus. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JUDE Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 There's a video on the front page of CNN showing the actual collapse caught by a security camera. It must have been so terrifying.....it happened so quickly. Wow that is totally freaky. I just went over that on Sunday afternoon, this really does nothing to improve my bridge-o-phobia. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I had the opportunity to look at it four times today, and I simply couldn't. A bunch of emotions from my car accident came back to me watching all of that last night, and though it's five blocks away from me it looks like across the world on the television, and I prefer it that way right now. I simply couldn't look at it because I didn't want it to be real. Instead, I spent the day adding parenthetical remarks to the updated headlines: Rescue Efforts Suspended (Bridge Not)Vibrations, Cracks Thought to Contribute to Collapse (Sound Engineering Not Yet Believed a Factor) Nope, just two. But I thought they were good. Oh, and Ms. Mary "Bridges in America Should Not Fall Down" Peters wins Soundbite of the Day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
napoleon Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 lots of love to everyone affected by this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tugmoose Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 Well, this bridge was found to be "deficient" 17 years ago, so I don't want to hear about "no one saw this coming." Estimate to repair the U.S.'s crumbling infrastructure: $1.6 trillion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Kate did a better job of what I was trying to convey. This is heartbreaking and horrible. Imagine it worse and daily and feel for the people of Iraq who had as much to do with their situation as we all had to do with this bridge collapse. This is heartrending.Well, this bridge was found to be "deficient" 17 years ago, so I don't want to hear about "no one saw this coming."Estimate to repair the U.S.'s crumbling infrastructure: $1.6 trillion.does that include public school buildings? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I had the opportunity to look at it four times today, and I simply couldn't. A bunch of emotions from my car accident came back to me watching all of that last night, and though it's five blocks away from me it looks like across the world on the television, and I prefer it that way right now. I simply couldn't look at it because I didn't want it to be real. Instead, I spent the day adding parenthetical remarks to the updated headlines: Rescue Efforts Suspended (Bridge Not)Vibrations, Cracks Thought to Contribute to Collapse (Sound Engineering Not Yet Believed a Factor) Nope, just two. But I thought they were good. Oh, and Ms. Mary "Bridges in America Should Not Fall Down" Peters wins Soundbite of the Day. Sweetie, last night I was thinking of your auto accident, and how this makes two very close calls in such a short time! I can only imagine how you're feeling. Clever parenthetical phrases. The brain plays when it is overwhelmed, doesn't it? Anodyne, I understood what you meant. It's all sad....lives are lives, wherever they are prematurely lost. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I just spoke with one of my good friends who works in Minneapolis. He was one mile from the bridge when it collapsed. He said he and his girlfriend were eating dinner and their bill was late getting to them. Had it come quickly, they would have been on the bridge. Additionally, a girl my friend works with was on the bridge when it collapsed and went into the water. She had to roll her window down and climb out, and swim to shore. Just a terrible tragedy all together. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Well, this bridge was found to be "deficient" 17 years ago, so I don't want to hear about "no one saw this coming." this is very sad and tragic and my heart goes out to all affected. i heard such this morning as well. what i don't understand (ok there are a lot of things, but relative to this): how is it the money can be found to repave the bridge, but not address it's structural integrity. following the bridge story, i heard that bush is pushing for a $ limit on how much should be spent on the new Health Care initiative for children. to connect the two, i find it __________ that we can find the money, endless deficits for some things and let others like infrastructure, health care, and education suffer because of funding limits. there are 77,000 bridges in the US that have been marked as deficient and not repaired. kind of reminds me of some levees... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Been traveling again, and when I first saw the images on TV late Wednesday, my first thought was "OMG I hope Solace is OK". Glad to see that he and others are OK. Edie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Serak_the_Preparer Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Got this in an email from some friends - it is a slide show of pictures from the scene. Heartbreaking. 35W Bridge Collapse Slideshow Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Heartbreaking.35W Bridge Collapse SlideshowI seriously got choked up on the lunchbox picture. I still just cannot believe this happened. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Well, this bridge was found to be "deficient" 17 years ago, so I don't want to hear about "no one saw this coming." Estimate to repair the U.S.'s crumbling infrastructure: $1.6 trillion.yep. this along with 70,000+ other bridges have been listed as "structurally deficient" for quite some time... so maybe not "no one saw this coming", but it's hardly an irregular thing too. this is probably just the first of more of these things to come unless the US steps it the fuck up and puts some money into it's infrastructure. we've already spent almost as much money in Iraq as it would take to do it... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 My Brother in law and I discussed this yesterday and his viewpoint is that the bridge collapse is no big deal, only 5 people dead and 8 missing? No problem for him. A major artery in a major US city severed due to lack of infrastructure maintenance? No problem for him. He then proceeded to blame the media for the collapse even being in the news because they just want to show dead bodies and report bad things about America etc... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 My Brother in law and I discussed this yesterday and his viewpoint is that the bridge collapse is no big deal, only 5 people dead and 8 missing? No problem for him. A major artery in a major US city severed due to lack of infrastructure maintenance? No problem for him. He then proceeded to blame the media for the collapse even being in the news because they just want to show dead bodies and report bad things about America etc... What a sad outlook. Bet it would matter to him if he or someone he loved were one of the 5! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 What a sad outlook. Bet it would matter to him if he or someone he loved were one of the 5!But even then, his interest would exist only because he had a personal stake in it, which isn't any less sad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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