Park board approves site for I-35W bridge memorial

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board on Wednesday approved West River Parkway as the site for the memorial for the victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.

The Remembrance Garden will honor the 13 people who died and the 145 who were injured after the bridge collapsed during evening rush hour on Aug. 1, 2007.

The memorial site is located across the street from Gold Medal Park, which served as a gathering place in the weeks following the collapse. The park was the city's original proposed site.

The garden memorial's design features elements that refer to the collapse, including 13 I-beams, one for each of the people who died. The space's linear dimension, 81 feet, references the date of the collapse (8/1).

Other features include a water wall that has engraved names of everyone who was on the bridge during its collapse and a path that leads from the fountain to the bluff edge overlooking the Mississippi River.

A formal dedication is scheduled for Aug. 1, 2011.

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