Bridges in Minnesota

Intercity Bridge

According to citypopulationreview.com, the Intercity Bridge is an arch bridge in the United States, located in the state of Minnesota. The bridge spans the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Characteristics

The Intercity Bridge is a monumental concrete arch bridge with a high deck. The bridge is a total of 464 meters long and has three main spans of 100 meters. The bridge deck is 17 meters wide, with 4 lanes and bicycle/pedestrian paths. The bridge handles local city traffic over Ford Parkway between south Minneapolis and west St. Paul. The bridge is toll-free.

History

The bridge was built in the period 1925-1927 to better connect the growing cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The bridge was built at the time to give residents of Minneapolis quick access to a large Ford factory. The bridge was widened in 1972-1973 and in 2004-2006 the bridge was renovated on a large scale. The Ford plant closed in 2011, after being in operation for 86 years. The bridge has the status functionally obsolete, although the bridge is in good condition. A replacement is therefore not planned.

Traffic intensities

Every day 15,000 vehicles cross the bridge, which means that it is not overloaded.

Lafayette Bridge

The Lafayette Bridge is a girder bridge in the United States, located in the state of Minnesota. The bridge spans the Mississippi River in St. Paul.

Characteristics

The Lafayette Bridge is a girder bridge with a total length of 1,028 meters and a main span of 110 meters (old bridge dimensions). The bridge has 2×3 lanes and emergency lanes, plus a pedestrian/bicycle path on the east side. The bridge handles traffic from US 52 and is the primary link between St. Paul and the southern suburbs. The Lafayette Bridge is toll-free. The bridge’s connection to Interstate 94 is substandard.

History

The original Lafayette Bridge opened to traffic in 1968 and was part of US 52, a somewhat substandard freeway that runs from St. Paul to the southern suburbs. This bridge had a length of 1,028 meters and a main span of 110 meters. The bridge was 18.7 meters wide, with 2×2 lanes and no emergency lanes. The bridge was renovated in 1982.

Replacement

Between March 2011 and October 2015, the Lafayette Bridge was replaced in two phases by a new two-span bridge. The new bridge is also a girder bridge and is approximately 60 meters shorter because the abutments are slightly further towards the Mississippi River. The first new span was constructed between 2011 and 2013, after which the old bridge was demolished in 2014. The second span on the west side of the 2013 span was built in 2014-2015. During the rebuilding of the bridge, the capacity has been increased from 2×2 to 2×3 lanes, with the outer lane being a weaving lane. The formal commissioning was on November 10, 2015.

Traffic intensities

About 63,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.

Lake Street-Marshall Bridge

The Lake Street–Marshall Bridge is an arch bridge in the United States, located in the state of Minnesota. The bridge spans the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Characteristics

The bridge is a concrete arch bridge with two spans, the longest of which is 169 meters long. The bridge is 452 meters long and 23 meters wide. The bridge deck is 20 meters above the Mississippi River. Across the bridge is Lake Street and Marshall Avenue with 1×4 lanes. The bridge connects south Minneapolis to west St. Paul. It is quite an important connection for local city traffic, Lake Street in Minneapolis is a major commercial zone.

History

In 1888 the first bridge was built on this site, a steel arch bridge with two spans. This bridge was 387 meters long and had a main span of 139 meters. It was the second oldest bridge over the Mississippi River, after the Eads Bridge in St. Louis. From 1926, US 212 crossed the bridge. The bridge was relieved in 1964 when the Dartmouth Bridge from I-94 opened.

Between 1989 and 1992 the bridge was replaced by the current concrete arch bridge, made of reinforced concrete. The original bridge was over 100 years old at the time. During construction, an arch collapsed due to a poor auxiliary construction (falsework), killing a worker. This also delayed opening until 1992.

Traffic intensities

The bridge is driven more intensively than other local bridges over this part of the Mississippi River, with 20,000 vehicles per day.

Lexington Bridge (Mississippi River)

The Lexington Bridge is a girder bridge in the United States, located in the state of Minnesota. The bridge spans the Mississippi River in St. Paul and is part of Interstate 35E.

Characteristics

The Lexington Bridge is a steel girder bridge and actually consists of two parallel spans. The bridge is 429 meters long with an unknown main span. The bridges are together 33.6 meters wide, with 2×2 lanes for through traffic and a weaving lane for traffic between two connections. The bridge deck is 19 meters above the Mississippi River. The bridge is toll-free.

History

The first bridge at this location was built in 1965 as part of Interstate 35E through St. Paul. This was a narrow bridge with 2×2 lanes and no emergency lanes. The bridge was little used in its first 20 years because I-35E was missing both north and south of the bridge until 1987. It has only been since 1990 that I-35E has been able to pass through St. Paul. Traffic then increased sharply, within a few years after full use, the bridge was already in poor condition and had to be replaced. The bridge was replaced in two phases, first a new bridge was built next to it on the west side, after which the old bridge was demolished and a second span was built on that spot. The replacement happened relatively quickly in 2003-2004. The new bridge is wider with 2×3 lanes and left and right emergency lanes and a bicycle/pedestrian path.

Traffic intensities

Every day, 82,000 vehicles cross the bridge, which is used quite intensively.