The skinnier steel truss bridge — long identified as a worrisome structure — is being demolished a section at a time now that two lanes of a state-of-the-art concrete bridge carry the load. By winter, all four lanes will be open.
As these projects go, the swap happened in a flash once state transportation officials determined the old bridge had been pushed to its limit. It was originally scheduled to be replaced starting in 2018. The project moved ahead with haste following the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.
The city's residents had grown leery of the rusting bridge and are ecstatic about its $130 million replacement, Mayor Paul Hicks said. "They're proud of how it looks and that it is new and that they don't have to worry about traveling over a rickety old bridge," he said.
Bridge safety remains a topic of concern nationwide as aging structures take on serious signs of wear. A new Associated Press analysis of federally collected data shows that thousands of bridges coast-to-coast have multiple red flags.
More than most places, Minnesota has a heightened vigilance around bridge conditions since the I-35W bridge buckled during an August 2007 rush hour — a disaster that killed 13 people. In response, lawmakers raised the state's gas tax to finance a 10-year bridge construction program focused on tackling those with deep-seated problems. Some $1.2 billion has gone into the effort so far, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
