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Memorial To 35W Bridge Victims Starts Taking Shape

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- The memorial to victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse is starting to take shape at a Minneapolis park along the Mississippi River.

Mayor R.T. Rybak and the architect of the so-called Remembrance Garden showcased the construction progress Thursday. Crews began digging on the site a few days ago.

The memorial will consist of a plaza with 13 LED-lit beams -- one representing each person killed when the bridge crumbled during an August rush hour in 2007. A wall of cascading water will feature the names of the nearly 150 survivors and a path to an observation deck will provide a view of the new 35W bridge.

Rendering Of I-35W Bridge Collapse Remembrance Garden
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak committed to building the Remembrance Garden within budget and including an endowment for ongoing maintenance, and to completing it in time for a formal dedication on August 1, 2011, the anniversary of the bridge collapse.

The memorial was first announced in 2008 and got a major boost last summer when a legal settlement tied to the collapse included $1.5 million toward the project.

A man who was on the bridge when it fell says he will visit the memorial.

"We can go, we can be anonymous and just be there and just reflect, remember, pray for those who are gone and everybody who has been affected by this," said Brent Olson, a bridge collapse survivor.

The goal is to dedicate the memorial during the Aug. 1 anniversary.

Click here to see more sketches of the memorial.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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