Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Stone Arch Bridge
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced the historic Stone Arch bridge in Minneapolis will be closed to the public for a lengthy two years, due to deteriorating mortar between the bridge’s stone bricks that compromise its safety.
The closure will begin next spring, around April 2024, and construction will continue until the spring of 2026, costing MnDOT an estimated $22 to $26 million to replace the stones and repair the mortar.
While it won’t be possible to walk the full length of the bridge for the two-year duration of the project, visitors will still be able to walk up to the bridge’s halfway point. MnDOT will close the east side of the bridge for the first half of the project and open the west side for visitors, according to project manager Amber Blanchard. After repairs are complete on the east portion, the half of the bridge will reopen for visitors, and the west side will close for repairs.
The parallel bridge a few streets north of the Arch Bridge, the Third Avenue Bridge, which has also been under construction for the last two years, will reopen next month, serving as a detour for those who use the Stone Arch Bridge to commute. A celebration for its re-opening is planned for Oct. 28.
"This bridge is just the symbol of our city,” park board commissioner Becky Alper told the Star Tribune. “A major piece of our transportation network. So I am so grateful to MnDOT for taking on this rehabilitation.”
The last time the Stone Arch Bridge underwent repairs was in the mid '90s.
