MINNEAPOLIS, MN — On Aug. 1, 2007, one of the most pivotal and painful events in recent Minnesota history occurred: the collapse of the Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge during rush hour, killing 13 and injuring 145. Over the years, the Minnesota Historical Society has documented this disaster in its collections, including acquiring several post-collapse pieces of the bridge.

To help commemorate the 10th anniversary, MNHS will put a remnant of the bridge, a gusset plate, on display at Mill City Museum. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation identified the gusset plates were a likely cause of the collapse; they were too thin and failed under the weight of the bridge and its traffic. A gusset plate remnant recovered after the I-35 W Mississippi River Bridge collapse on August 1, 2007. The National Transporation Safety Board concluded that the gusset plates were only half as thick as necessary to meet their design requirements, and that the inadequacy was the result of an error by the original design firm. Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society The display will be in the museum's Mill City Commons and will be free and accessible to the public from July 28 to Aug. 30.



Across the river in Saint Paul, visitors can also view the emergency exit door of a school bus involved in the bridge collapse, signed by all the children and adults on board, in the Minnesota History Center's "Then Now Wow" exhibit, according to a news release. Emergency exit door from a school bus transporting a group of day camp students when it was involved in the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, on August 1, 2007. The door is signed by all of the children and adults who were on the bus at that time. Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society MNHS collections have additional bridge remnants and signage, a shirt worn by a first responder on the scene, various photos throughout the bridge's history, and items from workers who rebuilt the bridge in 2008.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.) The Minnesota State Archives holds Minnesota Department of Transportation plans for the bridge's original 1967 construction and is currently processing MnDOT records concerning the aftermath of the collapse.