Yes, the bridge in Minneapolis was very familiar to us. We were on that bridge coming to and from Amy's cousins house just after 6pm Tuesday night (it collapsed Wednesday), and Amy was going to take it to General Mills to see her mom today. That would have been 2 crossings on each side of the 24 hour event window.
Amy and I are a little shaken because of this. Understandably. Her cousin just got the call Tuesday about a job at Amy's school, so we headed over there to celebrate Tuesday night. If the principal would have called yesterday, Amy and E would have been headed over there about that time to miss some traffic. I would have just left from St. Thomas and taken 94. But, it didn't happen that way, there's always lots of coulda happened and what ifs, but it was a big DIDN'T.
Furthermore, as to our familiarity, it is the bridge Amy's cousin uses to get to our house and now work (she just got a job at Amy's school) and my sister uses it to get to our house too. We use it to get to Mpls since it is the best way from our house. I would say we were on it at least a dozen times over the last month. (We also went to Gen Mills for a fireworks show)
A friend and his wife (Pat and Angela) are in that area frequently for softball, as well as my sister, I made sure to call them, but the phone lines were jammed so I was relieved when I got voicemail and text messages. (Damn it Pat, you cost me 20 cents as we don't have text service!)
(Make note, text messages are easy to push through on busy networks, it was one of the only ways to get messages out in NY during 9-11. They don't require as many resources on the phone network as a phone call does.)
I knew the softball season was over, and I don't think Pat and Angela would take that way from their house if they were going to a Twins game or something, but, I knew she worked near there, and it does happen to be the best route between Roseville and Mpls, its not like it is a far reach to think that someone you knew was on there.
Amy's mom was actually on the Stone Arch bridge earlier that afternoon and took a picture of the I-35 bridge. She wasn't there when it happened.
We have VoIP, which means our phone calls are Internet based until it reaches the city you are calling, so calling NE from home was easy, but people were having a hard time calling us. Plus our phone was tied up talking to relatives, because our cell phones were useless as they are 612 numbers. Amy had a few friends she needed to check on. I guess she has a friend who drives in on that bridge from WI for work.
My sister did finally call my mom, and leave me a voicemail. I got the v-mail shortly before my mom got through to us.
It doesn't look like there are that many cars if you look at the pictures, but so many (they estimate 50?) went in the river. I looked at a satellite photo (bridge on the left) taken probably a few years back, and with all 8 lanes open I counted 50 cars on the bridge at once. I would assume that would be during light traffic. Traffic on that bridge now, because of construction, is always bumper to bumper even on the weekends, so who knows. We were in fact complaining about it Tuesday when we got to Amy's cousins house.
So, as of this time, yes, everyone we can think of that uses that area regularly has been accounted for, that we know of. Officials are being very careful about releasing a death toll considering it went from 7 last night to 4 this morning, and they are certain there are about 20 unaccounted for.
Amy and I, as well as the rest of the Twin Cities, (and the world) are really thinking about and praying for the families and the victims, it weighs heavily on us since it is so local and familiar.