The bridge reopens

The city of Minneapolis has sent out a list of changes to the city streets now that the I-35W bridge is reopening:

  • Second Street SE will reopen in conjunction with the I-35W Bridge, and West River Parkway will reopen in the coming days. These streets both pass directly under the I-35W Bridge and had to be shut down for security and safety reasons after the collapse and as crews worked to construct the new bridge.
  • To restore traffic flow from city streets to and from the new bridge, traffic signals and signs at freeway and entrance ramps will be altered in time for the bridge opening. These changes will essentially undo some modifications that were made to divert traffic away from closed sections of the freeway following the collapse.
  • Traffic signal timing was adjusted on Central Avenue and other streets following the bridge collapse, and engineers will likely adjust the signal timing again as new traffic patterns take shape.
  • The Tenth Avenue Bridge, which runs parallel to the I-35W Bridge, will remain as it is for the time being – with pedestrian access on the side facing the new bridge. Minneapolis is evaluating the options for the future of the Tenth Avenue Bridge and will soon announce changes to the current layout.

    Is the bridge reoprning going to affect you significantly?[ Our Public Insight Network wants to know](http://www.publicradio.org/applications/formbuilder/user/form_display.php?isPIJ=Y&form_code=988288e9ca25″ target=”_blank).

    Moreover, if you were the one giving the speech just before the first car crosses, what would it say?