Work on new bridge to pause Friday for 1-year anniversary

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: July 28, 2008 - 7:32 PM

The rapid construction pace of the I-35W bridge will pause for six hours Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the state Department of Transportation said today.

Work on the replacement bridge over the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis will be halted from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. The bridge collapse occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Aug. 1, 2007.

The bridge is expected to be complete sometime between mid-September and early October.

The main span was finished Thursday, and construction vehicles are now able to drive from one side of the Mississippi River to the other.

In the coming weeks, workers will focus on the project's remaining work: paving approach roadways, painting, installing railings, lights and signage, striping the roadway, landscaping and other work that must be complete before the bridge opens to the public between mid-September and early October.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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