I-35W bridge remnants will be recycled

[barondave]

This is from yesterday's (1/12/08) Star Tribune pE11, but I couldn't find it online, so I'm typing the whole thing:

I-35 bridge remants will be recycled
FIXIT Karen Youso

Q. What happened to all the debris from the Interstate 35W collapse?

A. Virtually all of the material from the collapsed bridge has been or will be recycled, according to Kevin Gutknecht, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The concrete was sold to a company that pulverizes concrete and uses that material for various building purposes. The steel goes to a scrap dealer that will also recycle the material. Some of the steel from the bridge is lying in a yard on the river flats south of the bridge site, pending completion of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Then it will be recycled, as well.

American Iron, 3 miles upstream from the bridge, is a recipient of much of the steel. According to its website, the company scaled back operations for several weeks as the Mississippi barge canal was being cleared. When river shipping resumed, twisted beams, broken decking and other materials from the bridge began arriving at the yard. The largest sections require sheering, and then the bulk of the material will be barged downstream, past the collapse site and on to foundries where it will be recycled. It is possible that the new bridge could contain steel that was part of the old bridge.

Meet the new bridge, same as the old bridge.

Comments

[invader-tak-1.livejournal.com]

"Meet the new bridge, same as the old bridge."

I'm ok with that as long as they skip the "falling in" part. :)

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

Gee! Why don't they auction it off to make a buck along with a piece of the One, True Skylab (HHOK). I'm glad they're recycling; that makes sense. Letting the bridge go without maintenance doesn't. Anyhow, I hope you and MPLS are well. Greetings!

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Heh.

I bet that would make a fair amount of change, though the publicity would be bad.

Mpls is fine, but cold. In the single digits, and going down. Is that a part you miss?

[castleclear.livejournal.com]

Um, no. Five months of winter was something I was happy to escape from. I love Colorado for warming up even in wintertime, though socio-politically I think I fit better in MPLS.