The I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis will be bathed in red, white and blue tomorrow to mark the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in which nearly 3,000 people were killed after airliners were purposely flown into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the World Trade Center towers in New York City.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation lights the bridge for major holidays. A few examples are; orange for Halloween, red and green for Christmas and pink for Mother’s Day.
The agency also illuminates the bridge for special events.
In 2016, the bridge glowed blue for 11 consecutive nights after the body of the then 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was found 27 years after he was abducted near his home in St. Joseph, Minnesota. That was an event that had such a huge impact on parents and children alike.
For the first time ever, the bridge was illuminated in changing colors to honor the 2020 graduates who were all so gypped because of the arrival of Covid-19.
When the new bridge was built to replace the old I-35W structure that collapsed on August 1, 2007, it became one of the first segments of interstate highway in the country be illuminated with L.E.D. lighting.
In Hennepin County, the arches on the Lowry Avenue Bridge connecting north and northeast Minneapolis also are fitted with multicolored L.E.D. lights.
Both of these bridges are mentioned in the book.
Do you remember where you were when the I-35W Bridge collapsed? Most likely, if you’re old enough, you know exactly where you were on 9/11.
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