Bridge with a view reopens

The north side
The north side of the doomed I-35W bridge is easily visible from the just-reopened #9 bridge in Minneapolis.
MPR Photo/Tom Crann

After almost three weeks of television images, and a stream of photos in newspapers and on the Web, there's something about the collapsed I-35W bridge that people still want to see for themselves.

On Tuesday, the city of Minneapolis reopened what's known as Bridge 9. The former railroad bridge is now a pedestrian and bicycle link between the west and east banks of the Mississippi River. It provides the closest view of the collapse site open to the public.

An hour after it reopened, there was already a steady stream of people on foot and bicycle. They were on the bridge to see the collapse in person.

Tom Crann talked to several.