Bridge Fix of the Week: Interstate 35W South of Franklin Avenue
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 10:24 am
- 4 Comments
The bridge over Highway 65 four blocks south of Franklin Avenue is a two-lane bridge built in 1967. It is 433 feet long and accommodates an average of 48,500 vehicle trips per day over its structure. Taking traffic on Interstate 35W southbound over Highway 65, the bridge has a structural rating of 42.1 percent and has been evaluated as meeting “minimum tolerable limits to be left as is.” The 35W bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River was rated 50 percent.
The best vantage point to see the bridge is from a pedestrian bridge over 35W at 24th Street. An observer can easily notice cracks and areas where chunks of concrete have fallen off. Some work has been done to the bridge, as bright new cement can be seen in some parts.
Northeast Minneapolis resident Andrew Tibor takes the bridge every day. “It’s pretty much my only way to get to and from work unless I want to take side streets.”
Asked whether he realized that the bridge had a low structural rating: “Actually, I didn’t know that it was one of the most structurally deficient bridges. I guess I didn’t really consider it. You cross so many bridges that you don’t really think much about it because they’re all over.”
It’s hard to notice that it’s a bridge at all, however, because Highway 65 dips below 35W, and the grade stays roughly the same. “It doesn’t even really feel like a bridge,” Tibor said.
Does he still feel comfortable driving it knowing the structural rating? “I will still drive it. The way I look at it is if it’s my time, it’s my time. What are the odds of another bridge accident happening on the same interstate just a few miles from the original bridge accident?”
Interstate 35W south of Franklin is listed as number 35 on the Star Tribune’s list of “Worst Bridges of Minnesota.” This is the first in Minnesota Monitor’s series of weekly looks at these bridges.
If you have feedback on this, or any of the other bridges on the list, please contact us at tipsATMinnesotaMonitorDOTcom. Next week we will examine #34, Highway 62 eastbound over Interstate 35W.
Follow Andy Birkey on Twitter4 Comments
Comment posted August 22, 2007 @ 11:35 am
type of bridge? While the structural rating is interesting it would be more interesting to discuss what makes up that rating and why its felt that this bridge is structural deficient. Just throwing out a number isn’t giving anyone any information. All these reports are online and public.
Secondly – the type of bridge is as important as its rating. The i35w bridge was unique in many ways. Based on my limited knowledge of engineering its unlikely that the bridge you discuss here would fail in the same dramatic fashion as the I35w bridge.
IMO – you are just adding ‘fear, uncertainty, and doubt’ to the overall picture.
Comment posted August 22, 2007 @ 11:59 am
My motivation certainly isn’t to incite fear of even insinuate that this bridge might fail. I think it is an important to note that these bridges have been inspected and found to be insufficient at levels that exceed those of the bridge that fell.
This is a story to shed light on an insufficient infrastructure. I think it’s a stretch to say that we are looking at these 35 bridges because we think they may fail. We’re looking at them because our own government has said they are problematic, and folks might want to know where they are and what they look like.
Comment posted August 22, 2007 @ 6:35 am
type of bridge? While the structural rating is interesting it would be more interesting to discuss what makes up that rating and why its felt that this bridge is structural deficient. Just throwing out a number isn't giving anyone any information. All these reports are online and public.
Secondly – the type of bridge is as important as its rating. The i35w bridge was unique in many ways. Based on my limited knowledge of engineering its unlikely that the bridge you discuss here would fail in the same dramatic fashion as the I35w bridge.
IMO – you are just adding 'fear, uncertainty, and doubt' to the overall picture.
Comment posted August 22, 2007 @ 6:59 am
My motivation certainly isn't to incite fear of even insinuate that this bridge might fail. I think it is an important to note that these bridges have been inspected and found to be insufficient at levels that exceed those of the bridge that fell.
This is a story to shed light on an insufficient infrastructure. I think it's a stretch to say that we are looking at these 35 bridges because we think they may fail. We're looking at them because our own government has said they are problematic, and folks might want to know where they are and what they look like.
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