Minnesota

Photos taken in 2003 of the doomed Minneapolis bridge revealed warped gusset plates believed to have been a key point of failure in the 2007 collapse that killed 13 people.

Bars in Minneapolis have found a workaround to evade the state's ban on smoking in bars: stage "theater nights" and let all patrons be "actors" in a show that allows smoking.

In a recently released report, it has been found that Minnesota's transportation funding cannot keep pace with the state's infrastructure needs -- leaving only enough to maintain existing roads, not build any new ones.

More suburban commuters around the Twin Cities are ditching their cars and riding the bus.

An upscale mixed use development near downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, has been blocked by a city council vote, leaving many to wonder if the ruling was really the correct decision for the city.

The Minneapolis citywide wi-fi network is expected to become self-sustaining by February, according to officials.

The non-profit neighborhood housing group Hope Community has renovated ten houses, built 126 affordable rental units, and has two mixed income projects under way in one depressed and crime-ridden Minneapolis block.

This article from Utne Reader looks at a green housing complex that aimed at an atypical market: low-income residents.

The health of Lake Superior is facing a serious threat from pollution and runoff caused by development along its shores, according to a panel of scientists.

In suburban Minnesota, the number of people getting up early for pre-dawn commutes to the city is on the rise, and it's changing the way businesses operate and how towns handle the demand on their roads.

Facing residential opposition, city officials in suburban Minneapolis are having trouble getting sidewalks built in many neighborhoods. The residents argue that sidewalks are not needed in the suburbs.

The city of Minneapolis wants plans for the collapsed Interstate 35W to include the possible future implementation of space for light rail and bus rapid transit. The state department of transportation, however, has a differing vision.

A history of speedbumps have hindered transit funding in Minnesota, but after the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, the state's roads may finally get the maintenance money they need.

The chair of the House Transportation Committee had barely released his call for an increase in the federal gas tax to fund bridge repair when President Bush stated he would oppose it, claiming not more money but better priorities is the answer.

After the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, many commuters have had to rearrange their commute by finding new routes or taking transit.

The collapsed Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis was deemed 'structurally deficient' as early as 1990, as are 77,000 other bridges in the U.S.

By leasing some of its publicly-owned parking facilities to private developers, the city of Minneapolis is taking a large chunk out of its debt and creating a new stream of tax revenue.

Several neighborhoods in the southwestern corner of the city are hoping that the city will clamp down on monster homes, but builders and Realtors aren't going down without a fight.

High demand for parking spaces at a transit station has prompted one city to consider banning residents of other cities from using the parking lot.

The idea of expanding the influence of the metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota's Twin Cities region has been around for a while. But increasing growth and congestion may finally push the idea forward.