Disaster Meets Discussion

picking up the pieces of the 35W bridge collapse

When the I-35W bridge fell into a portion of the Mississippi River in August, the University of Minnesota took the tragedy and turned it into an opportunity to focus on the environmental roles of the river, the bridge and transportation.

Patrick Nunnally, a research associate with the Institute on the Environment and the Department of Urban Studies at the U of M, chose to integrate the bridge collapse into classroom discussion. Days before the fall semester kicked off, Nunnally was given the go-ahead to teach a supplemental course called “The River, the Bridge, the Community: Beyond the Headlines of the I-35W Bridge Collapse.” Throughout the course, 24 students explored the relationships the Mississippi River has developed with the communities it touches, specifically their campus.

The gaping hole was quickly bridged with conversations about the new project and sustainability. The Minnesota Department of Transportation Web site says “greater innovation and flexibility in selecting design, materials and construction methods” will be utilized in the rebuilding of the new bridge. It also states engineers will consider steel or concrete-and-steel construction as design possibilities.

Nunnally also expresses concerns for the river as an ecosystem. “One of the obvious is the storm-water monitoring at the construction site,” he says.

Nunnally says contractors will be keeping eyes on the water flow off the bridge, working hard to prevent polluting the Mississippi with cement and other debris.

What makes a community is the ability of everyone to come together and think progressively. The collapse of the bridge forced Minneapolis to examine the big picture. For a city making strides toward sustainability, building a bridge to support its commuters is equal in importance to a bridge that meets sustainable guidelines.

“You’ve got to think ‘sustainability,’” Nunnally said. “It’s got to last 100 years.” a

Alison Fiebig