I-35W Bridge To Be Blue For 11 Nights In Wetterling's Honor

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis' Interstate 35W Bridge will shine blue for 11-straight nights in honor of Jacob Wetterling.

Gov. Mark Dayton's office says he asked the Minnesota Department of Transportation Wednesday to arrange for the bridge's computerized lighting system to be set on blue, which represents child abuse prevention.

I-35W Bridge lit in teal for ovarian cancer awareness (credit: Becky Lechner)

Wettering was kidnapped on Oct. 22, 1989, and his whereabouts were a mystery until Danny Heinrich revealed in court last week that he assaulted and murdered the 11-year-old boy. Heinrich will spend 20 years in prison on a child pornography charge due to a plea deal orchestrated with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Wetterling family.

Minnesota sports teams and thousands of people have been honoring Wetterling's memory through the "#11forJacob" movement. Wetterling wore the number 11 on his sports jerseys, which is why Dayton has asked for the bridge to be lit for that number of days.

The bridge will be blue from Thursday, Sept. 15 till Sunday, Sept. 25, when a memorial service for Wetterling will be held.