• Home
• About Amy
• Serving Minnesotans
• About Minnesota
• Issues/ Legislation
• Media Center
• Contact Amy
• FAQ

News Releases

Senator Klobuchar Reviews Progress on the New 35W Bridge

August 18, 2008

Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar reviewed firsthand the progress on the construction of the new 35W bridge, which has been built in record time and is expected to open sometime in September.  Within days after the 35W bridge collapsed on August 1, 2007, Klobuchar helped secure approval of more than $373 million in federal funds to pay for the costs of rebuilding the bridge.

The bridge tour included officials from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Flatiron-Manson construction company and the Carpenters union.  They told Klobuchar that more than 600 workers have been involved with the bridge construction.

“The workers have done an amazing job,” said Klobuchar.  “Standing on this new bridge, you can’t help but remember the bridge that was here before, along with the collapse victims and the survivors.  These workers have not only rebuilt a bridge, they have rebuilt hope for Minnesota.”

Klobuchar noted that her Senate office in the Twin Cities is located right next to the bridge on the south side of the river, while her own home is only blocks from the bridge on the north side of the river.

Klobuchar serves on the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, which will hold a hearing next month on federal bridge legislation introduced by Klobuchar and Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois.

The National Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2008 would require the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the state transportation departments to develop plans to begin repairing and replacing bridges that pose the greatest risk to the public.  The legislation would also require the FHWA to develop new bridge inspection standards and techniques that utilize the best technology available.
 
 
###