In danger in America

Interstate 35 is, in the Bush plan, is to be a main trade artery between Canada and Mexico.  The project is another fancy, ill-planned, environmentally inexcusable piece of Bush nonsense. You wouldn't believe the hullabaloo that's been going on in Texas over the past several years, protests centering on I-35 and the land "taking" which will make its fancification possible.  I-35 from San Antonio to the Oklahoma border is a very dangerous highway.  The traffic is appalling and no safety concerns seem to apply. The intention is to widen it, bring in a lot more traffic, and collect tolls.

A couple of months ago I drove from 30 miles south of San Antonio on 35 down to the border -- to Laredo - to attend a meeting about border control.  You wouldn't believe what a pathetic excuse for an interstate the southernmost part of the highway has become.  Yes, there is grass growing in cracks in the concrete.  Yes, it is narrow (and almost empty).  In other words, the new Bush project depends on an existing structure which is falling apart (see also rebuilding post-Katrina; see Iraq).

But this?  In its northernmost reaches?  A couple of hours ago an entire section of I-35 collapsed in a busy part of Minneapolis during rush hour.

The entire span of a four-lane interstate bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during evening rush hour Wednesday, sending vehicles, tons of concrete and twisted metal crashing into the water.

The Interstate 35W bridge, which spans between Minneapolis and St. Paul, was under construction when it broke into several huge sections. Dozens of vehicles were scattered and stacked on top of each other amid the rumble.

A burning semi-truck and a school bus clung to one slanted slab, while an unknown number of vehicles were submerged.

Some people were stranded on parts of the bridge that aren't completely in the water.Local television stations captured video of injured people being carried up the riverbank. There was no official word on injuries, but dozens of rescue vehicles were there. Divers were also in the water.

A local paper reports [see also photo, above]:

One unidentified man who was on the bridge said he saw children from a school bus that remained on a portion that remained above the water were "yelling, screaming, bleeding and I believe some had broken bones." Tons of concrete have fallen, many injuries are being reported.

This is one of those times when it's possible to be unsurprised and horrified in the same moment.  I'd say it's that combination of emotions for which the Bush presidency will be best remembered.