New I-35W Bridge Opens in Minneapolis

The new Interstate 35W bridge opened Thursday in Minneapolis, a little more than a year after the previous bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River, the Associated Press reported.

A procession of vehicles led by state troopers, emergency vehicles and state highway trucks led motorists across the bridge in both directions shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday local time, AP said.

Traffic was heavy as a mix of cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses started streaming across the bridge, AP reported.

The previous bridge collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The new bridge has 323 sensors that will generate an extensive record of how it handles stresses and strains of traffic and the area’s cold climate, AP reported.