35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse

The August 1, 2007 collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis touched all of us. Beyond the tragedy of 13 lives lost and the many more injured, this disaster tore at the very fabric of our modern life and will have long lasting effects for the region.

American Iron, located three miles upstream from the bridge, scaled back operations for several weeks as the Mississippi barge canal was being cleared. When river shipping resumed, twisted beams, broken decking and other materials from the bridge began arriving at the yard.

The largest sections require shearing, and then the bulk of the material will be barged downstream, past the collapse site and on to foundries where it will be recycled.

In fact, it is possible that the new 35W bridge could contain steel that had once been a part of the old bridge.