Can’t Get There From Here

Last night, before dinner, I was thinking through a blog entry on road construction. We are hot and heavy into road construction season, especially in my little corner of St. Paul. Literally half the streets are ripped up. If you’re not careful, you’ll drive in circles trying to get from point A to point B. Even if you are careful, you still feel like you’re driving in circles.

Last night, in the middle of dinner, the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi collapsed. The main span fell right into the river. There was resurfacing going on the bridge (another form of road construction), and several lanes of stop and go rush-hour traffic. One of the main arteries into Minneapolis, severed. For years.

The road of many people’s lives, at least 4 of them, also severed. Others’ lives taking a detour of undetermined length. Just follow the signs.

I’m thankful that my friends, my acquaintances, and my husband will only have to find driving-related detours. I had all three crossing the I-35W bridge yesterday.

I have so many feelings about what happened yesterday. I can’t get them all straight. I can’t get there from here. There’s some anger. There’s some amazement at the level of stupidity of people in the media. There’s amazement at the speed and skill of the Minneapolis Fire Department, the County water patrols, and other emergency personnel from all over The Cities that rolled into action.

And now, off to dinner.