The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced that it will be teaming with the Flatiron-Manson Construction Company to host a series of “Sidewalk Superintendent Talks” to be held on Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. beginning Nov. 10. The talks are open to the public and no reservations or tickets are required.

The talks will take place on the 10th Avenue Bridge, which overlooks the construction site, and will be led by representatives of Flatiron-Manson. Jon Chiglo, MNDoT project manager for the bridge construction, said in a press release that the sidewalk talks will give members of the community a chance to ask questions and express their concerns about the project.

Since the collapse of the 35W bridge on Aug. 1, MNDoT has been criticized by legislators, attorneys for the victims, and recently a Ramsey county judge, for failing to share information about the failed bridge. In a Nov. 7 article in the Star Tribune, reporter Mike Kaszuba writes that bridge engineer Dan Dorgan is no longer available for interviews, and that, at one point in October, the agency refused to give reporters access to the MNDoT employee responsible for handling requests for public information.

People interested in taking part in the Saturday sidewalk talks should meet in the parking lot next to Grandma’s Saloon at Washington Ave. S. and 19th Ave. in Minneapolis.

The press release also stated that MNDoT is attempting to reduce the noise associated with the construction by drilling shafts to build the bridge piers into the bedrock foundation, rather than driving pile, which is an extremely loud process.

For more information, visit the MNDoT Web site or call the 35W Bridge Hotline at 612-236-6901.

last revised: November 9, 2007

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