We Could Have Had A Bridge Instead of a Span

According to the Star Tribune, the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava made a bid for the 35W bridge in Minneapolis to Governor Tim "T-Paw" Pawlenty last September, a bid that the architect said would have met the budget and the timetable.

So we could have had an iconic Calatrava-designed bridge for the same amount of money we're spending for a straight line with pillars?

Calatrava apaprently sent a frustrated letter to Pawlenty before the project was actually awarded to Flatiron Constructors of Colorado. From the Strib:

"After working so hard on the design and creating over 130 drawings and two models, we are very disappointed that we have not had the opportunity to present our proposal" to state officials, he wrote. The letter encouraged Gov. Tim Pawlenty to check out enclosed sketches and a DVD with an animation of the bridge design.

In September, the time the article came out, Calatrava's office was not sharing the designs with the public.

Here are some of Calatrava's other bridges:

Alamillo Bridge, Seville, Spain.

Puerto Bridge, Ondarroa, Spain.