Bridge Collapse Memorial

MINNEAPOLIS - A long-planned site for a memorial to victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse is in doubt.

The city has been raising funds for a memorial at Gold Medal Park, near the Mississippi River on the eastern fringe of downtown Minneapolis.

The park is not far from where the Interstate 35W bridge tumbled into the river in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring many more.

Mayor R.T. Rybak's chief of staff says there are "challenges" with that site, and the city is now considering nearby locations.
 

Jeremy Hanson Willis says no final decision will be made without talking to collapse survivors.

An early design for the memorial called for a fountain surrounded by 13 upright I-beams, each engraved with the name of one of the victims.

Rybak spokesman John Stiles says that design could change. Stiles declined to say how much money has been raised for the memorial. Organizers had set a $1 million goal last year but acknowledged the recession had hurt giving.