I'm sure most if not all of you heard of the tragedy that quite literally befell the Twin Cities last week; the highway 35W bridge going into the heart of Minneapolis completely collapsed during the tailend of rush-hour traffic. So far, four people were killed, but recovery efforts had to be delayed as debris in the river below is quite hazardous in rushing currents.
Of course blame is being passed, fingers are being pointed, and responsibility is being avoided, the bridge was in better shape than so many others in the state and across the nation, it was considered in disrepair, was up for inspection later this month, etc. And yes, part of me wants to, like my Pastor yesterday, encourage people to "seize the day," to be grateful for every moment. I sit back though, and think how crazy that this happened on one of my bridges. I crossed that bridge just five days earlier; for a while, that was my regular route to work, only when construction started to hinder my progress did I start using another. I've been traveling across that bridge since I could drive.
But I think that very reason is why this event, in the grand scheme of things considered small in terms of fatalities and injuries, is so huge: that could be any bridge in any city. Yes, the Minnesota winters are harsh and hard on roadways. Yes, that was an older bridge. Yes, that was a different design with no actual supports along the central part of the bridge. But it still fell when it wasn't even on the docket to be redone. It fell when there were less cars on it than normal because construction has shut down a lane in each direction. It fell during clear weather, no storm damage, so abnormal currents in the river washing away the banks where it gathered its support.
Be thinking of the people who were involved in this crazy happenstance; it wasn't anyone I knew, but you never know what tomorrow brings. And I don't mean that in any morbid sense, just realistically.
