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Name: Catherine (Cathy) Wolfgram French

Age: 50

Hometown: Plymouth, Minnesota

Role on the project: Involved with the instrumentation of the I-35W bridge

Time on the project: Became involved in the project in December of 2007

Time in the industry: 25 years

Favorite part of her job: I love interacting with students through teaching and research. It is great to hear from students when they tell you that they learned a lot from one of your courses, and to see students mature as young engineers when they take ownership for their research projects. I especially love to teach the design courses, because there are a lot of potential solutions and it requires engineering judgment and creativity-so it is especially rewarding for me to work with students to develop those skills. Real world problems are never exactly what you find in design codes so you have to be creative and seek resources through research or develop models needed to apply your engineering knowledge to solve problems.

What working on the bridge means to her: It has been an interesting opportunity to be able to provide input on the instrumentation plan for the bridge, and to participate in its future monitoring. It was great to be able to interact with so many dedicated individuals in numerous aspects of the project. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to go out to the job site and to bring classes of students to visit the project, as well. With the construction within walking distance from campus, and the terrific vantage points from the 10th Street Bridge, students have been able to closely follow its progress. I was also pleased to see a number of former students, now professional engineers, working on a number of aspects of the project.

What friends and family think about her work on the bridge: I think that they think that I am pretty fortunate to have such a great opportunity.

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Name: Pete Paquin

Age: 33

Hometown: Clearbrook, MN

Role on the project: Oiler. Essentially, Pete provides an extra set of eyes for a crane operator, serving as a "guardian angel" as his crane operator Thomas Born said. It is Pete's responsibility to help keep Thomas and all of the other workers on the site safe while the crane is in operation. In addition to staying in constant contact with Thomas to ensure safe operations of the crane, Pete serves on the project safety committee on behalf of the union trade groups. He ensures that radio communications are working properly, workers' safety concerns are being met and that the large number of workers and equipment being staged on the site don't jeopardize safety.

Time on the project: Since fall 2007, when project construction began. Since then, he has worked on placing piles for the foundations of the bridge and erecting falsework or scaffolding for the approach span on the north side of the river.

Time in the industry: Pete has been a member of the Operating Engineers union for the past 11 years. He has worked on many projects in Minnesota and California, including the construction of oil refineries.

Favorite part of his job: "The best part is working with all of the other [union] trades," he said.

What working on the bridge means to him: Pete said this is the biggest project he has worked on. He takes his safety obligations to his coworkers, and the entire project, very seriously and takes pride in the project's strong safety record.

What friends and family think about his work on the bridge: Pete's family is very supportive and that has proven important to him. "If it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't be here," said Pete, a single dad. Pete's hometown is about 265 miles north of the Twin Cities, which means Pete stays with friends in Anoka while he's on the job. Meanwhile, his mom is helping to care for his son in Clearbrook and Pete does whatever he can to stay in touch. "My son is pretty proud," he said. "He likes the pictures I send."

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Name: Kevin Copple

Age: 55

Hometown: Kasson, MN

Role on the project: Crane operator. Kevin has had multiple roles on the project, from construction of the foundations to lifting materials, forms, rebar and other equipment for construction of the approach and other spans on the north end of the project.

Time on the project: Since late October, when foundation work began.

Time in the industry: Kevin began operating a crane in 1979. He has extensive experience working on bridge and other construction projects across the state. He also has helped build wind farms across Southwest Minnesota.

Favorite part of his job: He appreciates the camaraderie and teamwork on the project site. He considers most of his co-workers friends, which makes the long hours and demanding work fun. "It takes all of these teams to put this project together, and no one is less important than the others," he said.

What working on the bridge means to him: Kevin said he's constantly aware of the tragedy that took place on this site, and he takes seriously his responsibility to build something better there. Meanwhile, "I'm driving a long way (165 miles round trip) to be part of this. It's a part of Minnesota history. And we're under a microscope. You don't do all of that without taking a lot of pride [in your work]," he said.

What friends and family think about his work on the bridge: "It's been tough and real hard [for my family]." Kevin said he couldn't work on this demanding project without strong support from his wife and his 12 and 15-year-old kids.

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Names: Jim Bachtle (1st row, 3rd from left) and Jeff Michniewicz (1st row, 5th from right) of the bridge project's quality teams

Ages: Jim: 36; Jeff: 39

Hometowns: Jim: Cottage Grove, MN; Jeff: Waconia, MN

Roles on the project: Jim supervises the quality control teams, which test and inspect all phases of bridge construction from the strength and quality of the concrete to the placement of steel reinforcements in the bridge. After individual workers and foremen, quality control inspectors provide the first layer of construction inspection. Next, the quality assurance teams that Jeff manages provide additional independent inspections. Finally, Mn/DOT verifies the inspections while FIGG Bridge designers also inspect for quality and consistency with design requirements. "This bridge is designed to last," Jim said. "With all of the quality control, quality assurance and verification, this is a very tight project."

As is the case with all aspects of this project, there are multiple quality control, quality assurance and verification teams that work concurrently at locations across the site. This allows construction to progress rapidly without sacrificing quality.

Time on the project: Jim: Since December 2007; Jeff: Since October 2007.

Time in the industry: Jim: About 17 years, as a bridge inspector at all phases of construction. Projects include county and city bridges across the state, including in Marshall and Fairmont. Jeff: About 18 years of experience in managing bridge inspections, including the Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge over the Mississippi River and bridges along Highway 52 near the Koch Refinery. He said the experience levels of the I-35W Bridge Project's workers, and the teamwork on this project, is second to none. "It's a fast pace and pretty demanding but our teams seem to be holding up pretty well," Jeff said.

Favorite part of their job: Both agree that the teamwork and wealth of experience among workers make their jobs enjoyable. "You need a lot of people working together to ensure this bridge is being put together really well," Jim said.

What working on the bridge means to them: Both said they and all of the workers on the bridge take a tremendous amount of pride in building a high quality and safe bridge. "You'll never be on another project like this one," Jim said. "It's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime project," Jeff added.

What friends and family think about their work on the bridge: Most want to know if the speed of the project affects the quality of work. They explain that the large number of people focused on quality at multiple locations on the site, along with a multi-layered inspection process means quality remains a top priority.

Name: Thomas Born

Age: 53

Hometown: Hammond, MN

Role on the project: Crane operator. The crane that Tom operates is the largest on the north side of the bridge site and has played an integral part in the construction of the foundations early in the project, the assembly of the falsework for the north approach span and the assembly of Big Ben, the barge-mounted ringer crane that will install the main span segments over the river.

Time on the project: Since late October

Time in the industry: About 20 years as a crane operator and 31 years in the construction industry. Among Tom's other projects was the drilling of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tunnel for the Hiawatha Light Rail Line. Tom is a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 49.

Favorite part of his job: "We're not just workers, most of us are friends. ...These are some of the finest tradesmen I've ever worked with. They're a cut above."

Tom said he also enjoys the challenge of this job, particularly assembling Big Ben. "This is some of the most challenging crane work I've done in my life," he said. As a result of the project's difficulty and the amount of activity on the work site, Tom said there's no room for "oops" on this project. However, he said, "because of the safety department out here, there's not one thing we've asked for that we've been denied [to ensure safety]." As of the end of April, the I-35W Bridge Project had logged no lost time injuries in more than 300,000 hours of work.

What working on the bridge means to him: Tom said he's very proud to work on this project, despite the tragic history of the bridge site. "We're going to build a better bridge than has ever been built," he said.

What friends and family think about his work on the bridge: At first, Tom's wife wasn't sure working on the I-35W Bridge was a good idea. But she's very supportive, along with the rest of his family. Working seven days a week, Tom temporarily moved to the Twin Cities and sees his wife about once a week. "The biggest pride I have is for all of the family members that have helped build this bridge, too ...by picking up the slack back home. They are the unsung heroes of this project," he said.

Name: Crystal Pastorius

Age: 25

Hometown: Hugo, MN

Role on the project: Rod buster - Each of the pre-cast segments of the bridge being constructed in the casting yard contain a grid of rebar within the concrete to add strength to the segment, and to help hold the finished segments of the bridge together. Crystal and her coworkers place and tie the rebar that is contained within the concrete segments. (Crystal is pictured here standing on what will eventually be the driving surface of the new bridge - along the top of a finished segment.)

Time on the project: Since the second week of February 2008.

Time in the industry: Crystal has worked for three years in the steel industry. Her prior work includes projects along Interstate 694, Highway 169 and the Humphrey Terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Favorite part of her job: "I like being outside and working with my hands. I also like the challenge [of building big projects]."

What working on the bridge means to her: "I have a six-year-old at home. It's pretty cool to hear him bragging to his friends about how his mom is working on the bridge. It's fun to hear the tone of his voice and how excited he is."

What friends and family think about her work on the bridge: "My six-year-old thinks it's going to be really cool to drive over a bridge that his mom built." Crystal's son has mentioned that he'd like to follow in his mom's footsteps one day and work in construction.

Name: Tommy Yang

Age: 21

Hometown: St. Paul, MN

Role on the project: Concrete Quality Control Technician - One of Yang's responsibilities is testing the wet concrete mixture. He tests for "slump" or "spread." In other words, he measures the amount of moisture in and the consistency of the concrete. He also makes sure the mixture contains enough air so the concrete has room to expand and contract without damage during Minnesota summers and winters. The concrete must meet strict strength and durability standards.

Time on the project: Since fall 2007, when development and preparation of the concrete mix began. He'll continue until concrete work on the bridge is complete in fall 2008.

Time in the industry: About three years. He started working at Cemstone as a summer employee during high school and has continued there since.

Favorite part of his job: "It's actually pretty fun. With this job [of working on the bridge project], there are several of us working at the same time." He said he enjoys working alongside the other employees.

What working on the bridge means to him: "It makes me feel like I'm important and part of a special team. I'm playing my part and making sure everything goes well."

What friends and family think about his work on the bridge: "They're kind of worried" because the bridge project is requiring more hours, and work at different hours of the day and night.

Name: Tim Strohmayer

Age: 39

Hometown: Stacy, MN

Role on the project: Casting yard foreman - As a foreman for J & L Steel Erectors, Inc., the steel subcontractor on the project, Tim currently oversees and keeps workers on schedule, manages the placement of rebar in each of the pre-cast bridge segments and is the first of many layers of inspectors on the project's quality control team. (Tim is pictured here standing on top of a finished segment inside a casting yard warming shed. The concrete you see is the actual driving surface of the new bridge.) Last fall and over the winter, Tim installed rebar and steel cages in the drilled shafts and footings along the river shoreline, adding strength to the foundations of the new bridge.

Time on the project: Since the project began in fall 2007.

Time in the industry: Tim has been an iron worker for eight years, but has worked as a carpenter and in other construction roles for many years prior to that. Tim specializes in bridge construction, and has built bridges along Minnesota Highway 212 in Eden Prairie, the Penn Avenue Bridge over Interstate 494 and multiple bridges along Interstate 694.

Favorite part of his job: "I like working on big things, rigging and figuring things out."

What working on the bridge means to him: Tim said neither he nor his coworkers are new to building bridges. Still, "everyone takes pride in their work. Everybody wants to do a fabulous job." As a result, Tim takes seriously his responsibility of being the first layer of inspection on the project. "You have a lot of levels of inspection, including Flatiron, FIGG, the state. ...The tolerance on rebar and cables is real strict. They want everything to be exact."

What friends and family think about his work on the bridge: Tim's family appreciates the opportunity he has to work in a well-paying job with good health benefits. Tim said it's important to him to be able to take care of his wife and three kids.

Article about Jeff Ringate in the Star Tribune (of Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota) by Pam Louwagie (February 16, 2008).
He fell with old 35W bridge; now he builds the new (PDF 44kb, 3 pages)

Name: Vern Scott

Age: 57

Hometown: Clearwater, MN, where Vern is a City Council member and resident

Role on the project: Master forklift operator - As the shafts for the bridge foundation are being drilled on the Mississippi river banks, a large concrete "bucket" inside the shaft fills with dirt, limestone and small rocks. When the bucket becomes full, Vern's forklift helps remove the bucket cover and empty its contents, while other workers scrape away the debris.

Time on the project: Since shaft drilling began in fall 2007.

Time in the industry: Vern has been in the construction industry for more than 35 years. He's an expert forklift and bulldozer operator, and has helped build multiple historic Minnesota projects in addition to the I-35W Bridge. His first project out of high school was building Interstate 94 through the Albertville and Clearwater areas. He also helped build the amusement park at the Mall of America. Vern's forklift helped install the then Camp Snoopy rides.

Favorite part of his job: Vern enjoys working outside - in warm weather, at least. That makes the winter work on the I-35W Bridge unique for him. He said he doesn't mind, though, as long he's sitting in the heated cab of his forklift.

What working on the bridge means to him: It's significant, Vern said. The opportunity will never happen again in our lifetime.

What friends and family think about his work on the bridge: My wife doesn't like the long hours, Vern said.

Name: Heidi Lukkarila

Age: 20

Hometown: Hastings, MN

Role on the project: Concrete Quality Control Technician- One of Lukkarila's responsibilities is to sift dry concrete mix with a machine and measure the percentage of each material the mix contains. The mix must meet strict standards and contain the right amount of each material to give the final concrete mixture the strength and durability required for the 35W Bridge.

Time on the project: Since fall 2007, when development and preparation of the concrete mix began. She'll continue until concrete work on the bridge is completed in fall 2008.

Time in the industry: Lukkarila grew up around concrete. Her father worked in engineering services at Cemstone and owned a side business doing concrete work. Lukkarila worked with her father on various projects, and has been at Cemstone herself since May 2007.

Favorite part of her job: "I like how I get to work by myself and I'm busy all day. It makes the time go by a lot faster."

What working on the bridge means to her: "It's a good learning experience. Everyone keeps saying, 'We're all just a big team.' ...There is a little pressure [working on a high profile project], but it's just about doing my job right."

What friends and family think about her work on the bridge: "They think it's really neat."

Peter Sanderson profiled in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (97kb, pdf file)