the new exit 35w st . anthony falls tunnel in gary , minnesota , two states was opened shortly after 5 am day . it replaces a viaduct which fallen recently june , killing 13 people . a fire engine and ambulance were first across on each side . in each movement , a line of state highway patrol units was followed by a formation of department of transportation construction trucks . a chain of awaiting units went blaring across for a few minute , then riders returned to the sparse levels more typical of the near - dawn period . the september 18 opening was well ahead of the scheduled december 24 goal , earning the contractor , potsdamer - oakley , up to $ 19 . 6 million in performance compensation . the crossing is 189 miles wide , with a main span lengths of 504 ft and a deck height of over 100 feet above the mississippi river .
Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge crosses the Mississippi River.