In the midst of rampant paranoia after 9/11/01, and in the wake of the PATRIOT Act, the photography of so-called "critical infrastructure" is strongly discouraged by all and sundry. It's not illegal, of course, though an enormous number of people, many of them with guns, certainly seem to think so. To be quite honest, the vast majority of things considered "critical infrastructure" are not particularly photogenic or even visually attractive, but there's nothing quite like being told I am "not supposed to" photograph something to make me grab my camera and go looking for infrastructure to photograph. So, without further ado...
Downriver side of Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi River Lock and Dam Number One, downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, as seen through the "Stone Arch Bridge" at night. 6x4.5 transparency, high-resolution scan available.
A different night, a different camera, and a view of Minneapolis from the deck of the Stone Arch Bridge, seen above. Scan of a 35mm transparency.
The Hennepin Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River at Niccolet Island, downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. A "critical infrastructure" hat-trick, with the central Post Office just to the left and the ground floor of the Federal Reserve Building visible to the right. 6x4.5 transparency, high-resolution scan available.
View of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, at night, taken from the deck of the Smith Avenue bridge. Amid the rampant abuses of photographers' rights after the passing of the Patriot Act, being anywhere near a bridge with a camera can lead to unpleasant confrontation. This venture merely led to the photograph here and a chill from the gusty winds. 35mm transparency, high-resolution scan available.
View of Saint Paul, Minnesota's Wabasha Street Bridge from below, as well as, to the lower right, the only automotive bridge on or off the two-acre, uninhabited Raspberry Island, the destruction of which by terrorists would very slightly inconvenience members of the island's prestigious Yacht Club. 35mm transparency, high-resolution scans available.
The Minnesota Highway 52 bridge over the Mississippi River, just outside downtown Saint Paul, MN. Behind it is the printing plant of Saint Paul's finest daily newspaper, the Pioneer Press, and behind that the city's airport, Holman Field. 35mm transparency, high-resolution scans available.
The Ford Parkway bridge over the Mississippi River, between Minneapolis and Saint Paul... at night. The bridge was being resurfaced at the time, in either 2005 or 2006, hence the scaffolding and barges.
The view looking north under the Earl Street bridge over East 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN. People seem to care less about the photography of things that are merely soon to become infrastructure, oddly enough... 35mm transparency, high-resolution files available.
An unidentified photographer takes a photograph of a bridge over the Mississippi River outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. In these paranoid times, engaging in activities like this often leads to unpleasant confrontations with law-enforcement, security officers, and even overzealous members of the general public. 35mm transparency, high-resolution scans available.