The fatality that resulted last week after a man lost control of his car and went off the Hwy. 169 bridge over the Minnesota River should not have happened. I travel that route may times a week and have visualized sliding, hitting the wall and bouncing over the low concrete railing that is supposed to keep cars on the highway. Last week's death could have been prevented if a 8- to 10-foot screen were installed on top of the concrete barrier for the length of the bridge. Such a barrier would still allow views but would offer protection.
We have this same situation on the Interstate 494 bridge across the Mississippi River and the I-94 bridge across the St. Croix to Hudson, Wis. Let's learn from this accident and make the necessary improvements.
