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(AP) - The public got its best view in weeks of the
Interstate 35W bridge collapse on Wednesday when the city briefly
opened a nearby pedestrian bridge, but the bridge was soon closed
after recovery workers called the move disrespectful to families of
those still missing.

      Mayor R.T. Rybak said he reversed his decision to open the
bridge because the recovery effort was picking up steam after a few
days where Navy divers were slowed by rapid river currents brought
on by stormy weather.

      Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek had opposed opening the
pedestian bridge. Victims' families "do not want to see another
picture of a body bag in a newspaper," said Kathryn Janicek, the
sheriff's spokeswoman.

      "As you know, Mr. Mayor, we are actively working to recover
victims from the site and return them to their loved ones," Stanek
wrote in an e-mail to Rybak Tuesday night. "Maintaining the
dignity and respect for the families of the missing has been my
primary concern. We request that this bridge remain closed until
recovery operations on the river bottom are complete."

      According to a spokesman, Rybak felt it important to give the
public a better view of the remains of the bridge, which collapsed
Aug. 1, killing at least nine people. Four are still known to be
missing. 

It previously had been best viewed from an upstream
pedestrian bridge, the Stone Arch Bridge, that is significantly
farther away. The bridge that was opened briefly is just 1,000 feet
away from the collapse site.

      The city has attempted to "strike a balance between finding
ways to give the broader community a chance to pay respects and
better understand what happened, while protecting the privacy and
dignity of those lost and yet to be found," said Rybak's
spokesman, Jeremy Hanson.

      The bridge will remain closed until the recovery of bodies is
complete, Hanson said.


Divers were back in the Mississippi River Wednesday. Randy
Mitchell, a spokesman for the operation, said divers were helping
with debris removal and looking for the best ways to enter and
search sunken vehicles around the collapse.

      From the re-opened bridge, which connects University of
Minnesota campuses on both sides of the river, a piece of heavy
equipment with a large set of jaws could be seen picking up pieces
of rebar, steel beams and other debris and depositing them onto a
barge.

      By midafternoon, a growing crowd had gathered to see the new view.

      "It's a much better view. It's unbelievable," said Debbie
Rouvik of Cottage Grove, who brought her 8-year-old son Garrett.

      "This is just overwhelming ... I can't believe metal can fold
like this," she said.

      Even as spectators got a new view of what happened, a few
survivors of the crash were honored for their heroism. First
Student, the company that owned the school bus that became an
iconic image of the tragedy, held a ceremony where they presented
$5,000 checks to four adults credited with preventing the death or
serious injury of about 60 kids on the bus.

      Bus driver Kim Dahl, who a company official said had the
presence of mind to jam on the parking brake and possibly prevent
the bus from sliding off the bridge into the river, made her first
public comments since the collapse.

      "I don't feel like a hero," Dahl said. "I think anybody in
the situation would do the same thing."


      Jeremy Hernandez, who also was honored for helping the kids get
off the bus, said he had decided to accept an offer of free tuition
from Dunwoody College of Technology, which he previously hadn't
been able to afford. Hernandez plans to become an auto mechanic.

      State legislators were scheduled Wednesday afternoon to get
their first chance to comment on the state Transportation
Department's preliminary designs for a replacement of the fallen
bridge. MnDOT's plans call for a 10-lane bridge, two lanes wider
than the original bridge, that would be designed to last 100 years.
      

Gallery

Patrick Condon, Associated Press

Author

The public got its best view in weeks of the
I-35W bridge collapse on Wednesday,  when the city opened a pedestrian bridge about 1,000 feet downstream, but it was closed again several hours later.

City closes pedestrian bridge after recovery workers complain

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