A garish memorial and a morbid attraction

Imagine the scene of a disaster, one where a good number of people lost their lives and scores of others were injured. A structural failure caused by bad designed and execution coupled with poor maintenance, this disaster struck fear into the hearts of many, not just locally, but world wide. This took place several years ago, in a mid-western state. Once this tragedy was over, cleanup began and fingers were then pointed as to whom to blame. Then came the rebuilding of the fallen structure, which was completed in near record time, much to the relief of those who had depended upon its predecessor.

Now imagine the scene as it is today. The new structure stands where the old one once stood, and it fulfills the same necessary purpose. It also has a very different appearance; this new iteration being fabricated mostly out of concrete rather than steel. But otherwise, if one did not know the history of the site, said appearance would be cause of little notice. It is so like unto other structures of its kind that it is mostly unremarkable on the surface. But when the sun sets, this gleaming white concrete edifice is bathed in all sorts of garishly colored lights, like some sort of giant holiday decoration. And it is this last feature which gives the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a sense of creepiness.

Yes, this is a place where thirteen people died, and the choice was made to draw gaudy attention to what should be a somber remembrance to that tragedy almost two decades ago. My attention was first drawn to this bridge initially not because of the light show but because of its sinister pedigree. Yes, it was designed by the same firm that undertook the design of the infamous Sunshine Skyway and the other two of the terrible triplets. As noted, the appearance of the I-35W Bridge is rather pedestrian. There isn’t much that would make it stand out from any other lesser concrete bridge or overpass. The tops of the piers and support columns do have a minor bit of decorative flair, but that’s about it. Now, it is unknown (at least from the information I’ve found) who made the decision about the lighting, but that likely isn’t the fault of the design firm in question. I’d guess that the city probably contracted for that as the installation of such would be separate from the construction of the bridge itself. So no, the ghoulish illumination of the site of death and destruction should not be ascribed to the bridge designer. The I-35W Bridge is one that only becomes creepy once the daylight fades. However, one could be forgiven for finding beauty and festivity in those lights if the history of that bridge is unknown. 

If you want to see what this bridge looks like, day and night, here is an image search:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=i-35w+bridge+in+minneapolis&t=opera&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

So that begs the question as to exactly what factors conspire to make the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and its ilk so compelling – and so unsettling. Well, to be fair, the other two lesser versions of the Skyway seem to be free of its intense lethal allure. However, neither of those bridges are near any sort of major urban areas or any points of interest. This factor does logically influence which bridges will draw the most jumpers, as the greater the population, the more jumpers there will be. The New River Gorge Bridge seems to be an exception to this rule, as it draws quite a few jumpers from well out of its area. But I think that its extreme height can explain that allure. That, and much attention is given to it for recreational jumping, where BASE jumpers parachute down onto the river bank from its span. Jumpers who want to leave practically no chance of their survival will simply seek out the highest places. But what of the Skyway?  What has caused it to draw so many jumpers in the way that a flame draws moths?