The City, the River, the Bridge
The City, the River, the Bridge

Author: Patrick Nunnally

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 0816667667

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Exploring the university's role in understanding how disasters impact communities.

Wood, Concrete, Stone, and Steel
Wood, Concrete, Stone, and Steel

Author: Denis Gardner

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 081664666X

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Like never before we are aware of the crucial place of bridges in our lives. The spans that warranted little notice are now at the forefront of public and political debate and we are reminded of the rich history-and the uncertain future-of bridging in Minnesota. Historian Denis P. Gardner documents and celebrates a wide range of the state’s rural and urban spans, telling the remarkable stories of their construction and impact on Minnesota life and culture. From Pratt trusses to bowstring arches, Wood, Concrete, Stone, and Steel describes nearly every bridge type found in Minnesota, including railroad spans, and features more than 225 illustrations of historical and extant bridges. Gardner details the development of engineering and construction innovations (complete with a guide to trusses) and traces the fascinating politics and personalities behind the task of creating and maintaining safe, and often beautiful, crossings. Through arresting photographs and lively narrative, Gardner makes a compelling argument for the value of preserving our bridges and the cultural heritage they carry and brings to life their importance in Minnesota’s past, present, and future. Denis P. Gardner is an award-winning historian who has documented properties for the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Engineering Record. He is the author of Minnesota Treasures: Stories behind the State’s Historic Places. Eric DeLony is former director of the Historic American Engineering Record.

The I-35W Bridge Collapse
The I-35W Bridge Collapse

Author: Kimberly J. Brown (Journalist)

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 2018-07-01

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 1640120696

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"A bridge shouldn't just fall down," Senator Amy Klobuchar said after the August 1, 2007, collapse of the Minneapolis I-35W eight-lane steel truss bridge, which killed 13 motorists, injured 145, and left a collective wound on the city's psyche and infrastructure. On her way to a soccer game with a fellow teammate, Kimberly J. Brown experienced the collapse firsthand, falling 114 feet in her teammate's car to the Mississippi River. Although terrified, injured, and in shock, she survived. In this sobering memoir and exposé, Brown recounts her harrowing experience. In the aftermath of the disaster, Brown became both an advocate for survivors and an unofficial whistle-blower about decaying infrastructure. She details her investigation and correspondence with Thornton Tomasetti engineers, including the false official account of the collapse and the eventual revelation of its real causes. In addition, she chronicles the ongoing decay of America's bridges and the continuing challenges faced by leaders to address infrastructure problems across the country. After nearly a decade of research into the collapse and her active and ongoing recovery from psychic and physical injuries, Brown shares her experience and answers the questions we should all be asking: Why did this bridge collapse? And what could have been done to prevent this tragedy?

Collapse of I-35W Highway Bridge, Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 1, 2007
Collapse of I-35W Highway Bridge, Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 1, 2007

Author: United States. National Transportation Safety Board

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13:

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In the early afternoon, construction equipment and construction aggregates (sand and gravel for making concrete) were delivered and positioned in the two closed inside southbound lanes. The equipment and aggregates, which were being staged for a concrete pour of the southbound lanes that was to begin about 7:00 p.m., were positioned toward the south end of the center section of the deck truss portion of the bridge and were in place by about 2:30 p.m. About 6:05 p.m., a motion-activated surveillance video camera at the Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, just west of the I-35W bridge, recorded a portion of the collapse sequence. The video showed the bridge center span separating from the rest of the bridge and falling into the river.

Keystones of the Stone Arch Bridge
Keystones of the Stone Arch Bridge

Author: Carolyn Ruff

Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 63

ISBN-13: 087351937X

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Ten-year-old Fritz and his poppa have made a life for themselves in the Bohemian Flats along the river in Minneapolis in 1883, but what they really want is for their family to be whole again. In order to earn money to bring Fritz's momma and sisters from Sweden to America, the determined Fritz sets out to master a new skill, working as the youngest stonemason on the crew building the Stone Arch Bridge across the Mississippi River. Along the way, Fritz, always eager to learn, unlocks secrets of his new homeland, from details of the river's geology and the area's animals to stories of brave stands against slavery and the dangers of flour milling. He befriends Margaret, a Metis girl whose family has called the region home for generations, and meets notable early settler Emily Goodridge Grey. Applying his developing stonecutting skills, he records these many lessons in the keystones of the bridge. Working through the summer, Fritz grows in responsibility and stature. Best of all, soon after the bridge is complete, he is able to show off his handiwork to Momma in person. An interpreter at Mill City Museum for ten years, Carolyn Ruff has owned an art gallery in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, has served as a reading consultant in Minnesota, Japan, and Germany, and celebrates her own Swedish heritage in this, her first book.

A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota
A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota

Author: David Gebhard

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 1978

Total Pages: 494

ISBN-13: 9781452901015

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Traces Minnesota's architectural development in eight regions of the state from territorial days to the present and outlines tours of the state's landmarks. A perfect companion for sight-seeing trips.