After thirteen months following the tragic freeway bridge collapse, the brand new I-35W bridge spanning the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis was officially opened to traffic at 5AM this past Thursday.

Local and state dignitaries and curious onlookers showed up en masse to witness the first columns of traffic to cross the new span.  Among the lanes filled with semi trucks and commuters in cars, the first Metro Transit vehicle (left) also made its way across that morning, carrying its usual load of passengers.

At around midnight, just hours prior to the grand opening, throngs of local residents and various boozy U of M students emerging from area bars lined up along the nearby 10th Street bridge to watch the Minnesota Department of Transportation conduct its final stress test of the bridge. MNDOT employees drove several large construction vehicles across in a public display of confidence of the bridge’s integrity, in hopes of assuaging any lingering doubts by citizens.

As icing on the cake, the onlookers were also treated to a brief show by local favorites, the MNDOT All-Star Dumptruck Drill Team, as a large gravel truck packed well beyond capacity with MNDOT engineers and staff  members played “crack the whip” as it snaked its way across the bridge, trying its best to dodge the few remaining orange pylons on the roadway. As luck would have it, the truck, driven by M.C. and Guest of Honor–former MNDOT chief and Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau–made too sharp of a turn near the north end of the span, spilling the truck’s contents (right). Fortunately, no one was hurt beyond minor scratches and bruises, and a red-faced Molnau emerged from the overturned truck’s cab, dropping a few F-bombs, then grinning and giving a victory salute to the cheering, intoxicated crowds.

Later, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and Molnau gave brief speeches to the early morning gathering, with Molnau gushing, “I am soooo happy to see this new bridge up and running!  As many of you well know, I own a small parcel of land just downriver that I want to start developing. Progress is pushing ahead today.”

Tens of thousands of vehicles crossed the bridge that day without any further incident.