I’m curious. That’s one reason I started doing this website: to post the answers to some of the wacky questions I pondered about Bismarck, Mandan, and life in general. Naturally I had a few left over from the Memorial Bridge destruction & construction, which were graciously answered over the weekend by DOT spokesman and fellow KFYR veteran Mike Kopp.

The first one: what in the world happened to all that steel from the old bridge (pictured above)? The answer: “The steel became the property of the contractor, who is in the process of recycling it.” I’m guessing that’s a pretty good deal for them; steel prices have risen steadily in the past few years, from my understanding.

The second one was a combination question: I see a big open slab on the west memorial; is that where a section of the original bridge is going to go, and will there be a similar or identical memorial area on the east side, now that the old footings and stuff are gone? The answer: “A section of the old bridge from the west end will be placed in the Mandan riverside park to be developed. A section of the old bridge from the east end will be placed in the Bismarck riverside park under the bridge to be developed.”

The third one, and I don’t have a photo to back this one up that I can remember: I noticed that the lights under the bridge were only on for a short time, and not all of them were working. Are they off until the bugs can be worked out, or is it a seasonal thing? The answer: “Tests are being performed on the pier lights to determine the best effective radiance.” I can’t wait until they’re on for good. They look VERY nice.

Those are the only questions I could think of pertaining to the Memorial Bridge. It will be very weird starting our first year with the new one. All traces of the old one have gone. We have the new riverside parks to look forward to, however. I can’t wait until it’s warm enough to enjoy them!