Countrywide honors I-35 bridge collapse victims

Aug. 6, 2012

Countrywide Tire & Rubber donated 35 inner tubes for a public art installation to mark the fifth anniversary of the I-35W highway bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minn.

The installation consists of 35 oversized life rings anchored in the Mississippi River that glow at night, They are intended as contemplative markers for the tragedy, which killed 13 and injured 145.

St. Paul, Minn., poet Todd Boss collaborated with European visual artist Maja Spasova to create the memorial. In addition to the installation, Boss wrote a series of 35 poems about the collapse and Spasova recorded Minnesotans reading the poems and telling their stories about how the bridge collapse affected them.

The public art installation will remain on display throughout the month of August, 2012. Afterwards, the oversized rings will be sold to recover costs of the project when it is taken down on August 31. Details on Project 35W’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Project35W.installation.