Anniversary of bridge collapse marked

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Minnesota's governor ordered flags be flown at half-staff at the Capitol Saturday to commemorate the anniversary of the deadly Interstate 35W bridge collapse.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty issued a proclamation Friday declaring Aug. 1 as Interstate 35W Bridge Memorial Day, while he and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak asked Minnesotans to observe a moment of silence in memory of the 13 people who died in the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of the Mississippi River span, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

With the request, Pawlenty and Rybak also announced they have formed a fundraising committee to collect $1 million to build a memorial garden for the disaster victims, the newspaper said.

Along with the 13 deaths, 145 people were injured when the freeway bridge went down during a Wednesday evening rush hour, plunging dozens of cars, trucks and pieces of construction equipment into the river. The bridge has since been rebuilt, and the survivors are seeing their lives go back to normal, a counselor told the Pioneer Press.

"In the second year, you begin to see the grief as the shock subsides," said Judy Hoy, a clinical social worker who counseled two families affected by the bridge collapse.