Suggesting that anything positive might have emerged from a tragedy that took 13 lives is undoubtedly churlish on our part, if not outright offensive. But for all the traffic headaches that have ensued since the 35W bridge plunged into the Mississippi River, there has been at least one silver lining: Within days of the tragedy, Interstate 94 suddenly increased from three lanes to four on the heavily congested stretch connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. The road wasn't somehow magically widened—workers simply redrew the lines to accommodate four lanes of vehicles. Sure, the resulting configuration can be a tight squeeze, but anyone not attempting to apply her lipstick or talk on his cell phone should be able to handle the narrower confines. Which raises the question: Why did it take a bridge disaster to make this improvement?