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Media inquiries for the City of Minneapolis can be directed to: (612) 673-2786 Related LinksMapsMap of Affected Roads (PDF) |
The Bridge Collapse
At 6:05 p.m. on Aug. 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W Bridge over the Mississippi River between University Avenue and Washington Avenue in Minneapolis collapsed. Dozens of vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including a school bus carrying around 60 children. In minutes, Minneapolis implemented its emergency operations plans. Minneapolis Police and Fire departments, along with partners from Hennepin County and other emergency responders from across the metro arrived at the scene. Crews rescued all survivors from the wreckage in less than two hours, including the children on the bus. The injured were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and other nearby hospitals, as well as the Red Cross facility near the bridge. Emergency Response
Incident Command, headed by the Minneapolis Fire Department, was set up on the 10th Avenue Bridge. At the height of the response, there were more than 75 firefighting personnel and 75 law enforcement units at the scene, including divers and members of special collapsed structure rescue teams. In the river, boats from the city and county were deployed, along with a barge from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and three watercraft from the U.S. Coast Guard. Side sonar was used to assist in the water search. The State Patrol coordinated law enforcement resources from outside the City of Minneapolis. Iron workers were available for consultation regarding the bridge components. Additional mobile lighting was delivered to the scene to continue search and rescue operations after dark. On August 4, 2007, the Minneapolis City Council approved a Declaration of Emergency to extend Mayor R.T. Rybak’s emergency declaration made shortly after the bridge collapse. The declaration is necessary to receive special disaster-related funding from State and Federal sources, and allows the City to operate within its emergency plan for as long as needed. President George W. Bush visits the bridge collapse site President George W. Bush toured the collapse site Saturday, Aug. 4. Officials at all levels of government are moving to ensure that Minneapolis’ recovery happens as quickly as possible. A Moment of Silence Observed on Aug. 7 At 6:05 p.m. (the time the I-35 W bridge collapsed) on August 7, tens of thousands of people observed a moment of silence during National Night Out gatherings held throughout Minneapolis. This demonstration of our community’s unity and resolve honored the victims and families of the tragic bridge collapse as well as our brave emergency responders and the ordinary folks who helped with the rescue. At 6:06 p.m., the bells were tolled in the Minneapolis City Hall and Courthouse clock tower as well as at area places of worship. More than 1,100 National Night Out gatherings were held in Minneapolis with more than 50,000 people participating. • Newsletter from National Night Out (PDF) Recovery Stage Dive teams from Hennepin and surrounding counties initially helped with recovery of victims. When it became apparent that more diving experience was required to search under tons of collapsed debris, the federal government sent U.S. Navy Salvage and FBI divers on Aug. 6 to ensure that all missing victims were recovered from beneath tons of collapsed debris. With the recovery of the last known missing victim on Aug. 21, the three-week recovery effort officially ended. The collapsed bridge site was turned over to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and its contractors for debris removal and new bridge construction. For information on the confirmed number of deaths from the collapse, visit the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Web site at www.hennepinonline.info. |
