Minnesota's historic bridges: preserve them or replace them?
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In a state with as many rivers as Minnesota, bridges are a fact of life. And like many facts of life, they go largely ignored in our daily routine. That changed last August when one of Minnesota's busiest bridges fell into the river it spanned. And since then, two other bridges over the Mississippi River have been closed and another, in Hastings, is significantly restricted.
The haste with which governments are moving to replace these bridges is meant to reassure a nervous public. But a new book -- coming out this week -- argues for more reflection before tearing down Minnesota's oldest bridges. Denis Gardner's book, "Wood, Concrete, Stone and Steel" goes behind -- and beneath -- more than 200 of Minnesota's historic bridges to tell their stories.
Gardner talked to Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann.
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