I-35 Bridge Collapse
My fiancee and I decided against taking the I-35 bridge a few hours before it collapsed because at 3pm it was already congested due to the lane closing construction (which is indeed common in the summer here). I walked into Blegen Hall on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota about a minute before the bridge collapsed, which was probaby not much more than 1/4 mile away. Our final class for the semester was letting out early and as we were getting up to leave, one of the latecomers mentioned that she had heard that the bridge collapsed. After a brief debate as to how that was most likely inaccurate, we parted ways and I walked out onto the plaza at about 6:45. I saw helicopters near the river and immediately knew the classmate was right. I hiked down onto the school's pedestrian bridge and stood along with a whole bunch of other people (mainly University students and families who lived nearby. Although I'm sure a fair number of us looked ready to offer services, It didn't appear that they were asking for volunteers so as dusk set in I left. All in all, an initially eerie experience that is getting (predictably) more tragic as the night goes on. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.