HotAir has continuing coverage and more photos.
Here is what the bridge looked like (courtesy of Minneapolis Riverfront Bridges):
Bridge type: steel and concrete deck-arch truss bridge
Designed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, this bridge has a high water clearance and no mid-river piers in order to facilitate navigation of large vessels up to the two locks at St. Anthony Falls, which were opened four years earlier. The single cross-river arch has a span of 458 feet.
UPDATE: Here is a slideshow of amateur pictures taken at the scene. (Hat tip: The Spike) And Doug Ross has lots of “before” pictures of the bridge in question, too. Really gives you some perspective on the magnitude of this collapse.
UPDATE 2:
President Bush gets blamed in less than 24 hours. A new record.
UPDATE 3:
…and now it’s because of Iraq. Apparently there’s no money left to fix the problems… Note to nutroots: this bridge was deemed “structurally deficient” in 1990… long before Bush and Iraq were available to blame.
