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State Representative Denny McNamara

359 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3135

For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317

Posted: 2007-08-03 00:00:00
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OP/ED COLUMN

NEWS AND VIEWS WITH REP. DENNY McNAMARA

Hi everyone,

By now you’ve heard about the catastrophe that took place on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis Wednesday night. Governor Pawlenty has already ordered outside constultants to be brought on board to inspect other bridges of similar age and design. I will recommend to the governor that the Highway 61 Hastings bridge be among those in this group.

While our bridge is not of similar design, it is one of the older bridges in Minnesota. The Hastings bridge has been routinely inspected by MnDOT over the years, but in light of this recent tragedy, I think it is imperative that the Governor order an inspection and evaluation of our bridge as soon as possible.

While emergency crews continue their recovery efforts in the disaster area, you may be asking yourself how you can help.

You can donate blood. Call the Twin Cities Red Cross at 1-GIVE-LIFE or Memorial Blood Centers at 1-888-GIVE-BLD.

You can donate money. Several organizations have established disaster relief funds. I’ve listed a few below:

*Financial donations earmarked "Disaster Relief" may be sent to The Salvation Army at 2445 Prior Ave., Roseville, MN 55113 or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. To donate online, go to www.salarmy.org

*Financial donations can also be sent to the American Red Cross at: American Red Cross - Twin Cities Area Chapter, NW 5597, P.O. Box 1450, Minneapolis, MN 55485-5597.

*Finally, The United Way has an established protocol for handling donations. They work with state and local officials by consolidating offers of emergency assistance and making them known to responders. Contact the United Way’s 211 hotline for donations. Just dial 2-1-1 or 651-291-0211.

And as always, keep the families of the victims in your thoughts and prayers.

For those traveling to Minneapolis or for those who often used the 35W bridge, you need to be aware of what roads and streets are now closed, and which have been altered to accommodate the nearly 140,000 cars that used the bridge daily. Here is a brief rundown:

*Highway 280 has been turned into a freeway. Access has been closed at County Road B.

*All northbound I-35W traffic will now exit at I-94E so it can be detoured onto Hwy. 280.

*I-35 southbound is closed south of Stinson Blvd.

*The 4th St./University ramp to southbound I-35W is closed.

*The Hennepin Ave. ramp to southbound I-35W is also closed.

Be forewarned: If you are traveling in this area – particularly during rush hour - you can expect lengthy delays. Try to find alternate routes if you can. If you can’t, keep the detour and closings in mind as you try to make your way north or south on I-35W.

Talk to you soon,

Denny

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