Recalling tragedy

In the spirit of the 7th anniversary of 9/11/2001, and in light of the expected re-opening Tuesday, September 16, 2008, of the I-35W bridge over the great Mississippi River in Minneapolis, I find myself recalling my personal story from last year. I share it with you to remember, and to renew the sense of hope that I described in the days following the tragedy.

It is a phenomenon that I vaguely recall learning about in College Psychology courses... that major events imprint on our long term memory like a photograph's negative. The negative deteriorates and crumbles over time, but we fill in the holes with what we think we remember, so that our memory...or the picture...is still complete. I can remember almost rehearsing relevant facts as the disbelief set in following the bridge collapse comprised a host of variables, the end result of which was me not being at that place at that time on that day. I would normally drive to work east on Hwy 62/Crosstown to west 7th street, then take 35E north to Little Canada. On the way home, I would go the same way if I left on the early end (anywhere up to 5:15). However, it was a greater distance. If I left at 5:30, which was common, I drove the shorter route home as traffic from rush hour would be tailing off by the time I reached Minneapolis' downtown area. I depart Little Canada heading west on Hwy 36, which turns into 35W, and follow it all the way south to Lake David.

During the weekend of the incident, we had traveled to Philadelphia for Chris and Laura's wedding, on July 29, 2008. We returned on the 31st (also, coincidentally, a significant Birthday for David). I had decided to take August 1st off and enjoy myself since we'd traveled on my Birthday. Besides, one always returns from weekend trips more tired than before they left...and when you head straight back to work it is the equivalent of negative vacation (losing a weekend to 8 hours of air travel and 300 miles on a rental car). My friends had planned for us to all celebrate my B'Day, which I share with my friend Faith, by mini-golfing at Centennial Lakes in Edina. We met at the course at dinner time..right around 6 PM. As we arrived we heard people talking about something big happening. The guy in the kiosk had a radio and told us a bridge collapsed. We knew little so we got our clubs and started playing the round. Cell phone calls were attempted and failed. Towers were jammed. Nothing to do but keep playing.

Murmurs quickly spread via text message. The initial report received by hole 3 was that the fallen bridge was adjacent, on the West bank of the University campus -- a much smaller road used to cross the school, not a highway. By hole 4 I got through at my parents house and let them know we were unharmed. My father confirmed TV was reporting the university bridge had fallen. It was only a matter of minutes before we learned it was I35. Though I traveled it nearly every day, and had I worked that day, might very well have been involved, I couldn't exactly picture it in my mind. After all, traveling on an overpass at 60mph is not like studying it from the profile. The bridge normally is traversed in a couple seconds. Not on this day. Cars were bumper to bumper. In the aftermath we all were glued to the TV. Watching pictures and video, hearing the stories of the victims. It was a long time before the nearby area was open for public viewing. But even without seeing it, the graphic photos and video were plenty to make your stomach turn south. I would recall the armies of construction workers who had been a fixture on the bridge BEFORE the tragedy... and have a hard time separating the obviousness of the stress and additional weight from the equation.

I share the links below so those far away can get a little insight into this local and American disaster: the failure of our local, state and national governments to keep us safe. The most difficult part about this is that it wasn't caused by terrorists. There's no mysterious group on the other end of the world that we can point a finger at and blame. This was caused by apathy. It was caused by badly out of order priorities among those who spend our tax dollars. The actions that have been taken in the last 13 months prove that if government recognizes the critical importance of something, they can do better. They've surveyed, repaired and closed many bridges that were unsafe in Minnesota. The news crews have even raised red flags on bad parking ramps. It all makes me ponder the obvious: what's more important than our safety? Not fighting militant armies around the world who had nothing at all to do with this. Inasmuch as a terrorist's goal is to disrupt a country, a way of life, by infringing on basic rights of safety, you might say they won. Our economy is halfway down the toilet, nothing's improved in the accessibility or affordability of education, our healthcare and transportation infrastructure have been questioned but only as a scratch on the surface. Clearly the last 8 years distracted the country from addressing failing infrastructure needs. But I don't believe they won, because we have resilience. We are terrific at rebuilding, at remembering, and we are stronger because of it. I am excited that the new bridge opens next week, and in due time the same closure will come to New York City.

Related reading:

http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2007/08/02/live-footage-of-bridge-collapse/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge

http://www.35wbridgecollapse.net

http://projects.dot.state.mn.us/35wbridge/

http://www.startribune.com/projects/11608881.html