Third Avenue Bridge (Minneapolis) Explained

Bridge Name:Third Avenue Bridge
Crosses:Mississippi River
Carries:Four lanes of
Locale:Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Design:Open-spandrel concrete arch bridge
Mainspan:211 feet
Length:2223 feet
Width:54 feet
Below:42 feet
Open:1918
Maint:Minnesota Department of Transportation
Id:2440
Coordinates:44.9833°N -93.2589°W
Extra:
Embed:yes
Third Avenue Bridge
Nrhp Type:NRHP
Nrhp Type2:cp
Partof:St. Anthony Falls Historic District
Partof Refnum:71000438
Map Label:Third Avenue Bridge
Built:1914-1918
Architecture:Melan arch bridge, open spandrel
Added:July 25, 2024
Designated Nrhp Type2:March 11, 1971
Nocat:yes

The Third Avenue Bridge is a landmark structure of the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, originally known as the St. Anthony Falls Bridge. It carries road traffic across the Mississippi River and upper fringes of Saint Anthony Falls. The multi-arched bridge meets with Third Avenue in downtown Minneapolis at its south end, but curves as it crosses the river, and connects with Central Avenue on its north end. The shallow "S" curve in the bridge was built to avoid fractures in the limestone bedrock that supports the bridge piers. The road is also designated Minnesota State Highway 65. Construction began in 1914, and it opened four years later in 1918.[1] The bridge, which uses Melan arches of an open spandrel design, has been modified since that time. The 2,223-foot (667.6 m) crossing was designed by city engineer Frederick W. Cappelen, who also created plans for other similar bridges in Minneapolis such as the Franklin Avenue Bridge. It cost US$862,254.00 at the time of construction.

Renovation

The bridge underwent a major overhaul in 1979–1980. The bridge underwent another restoration in 2020–2023 to extend its life 50 years with a new deck, and other improvements to barriers, railings, and lighting. As the bridge is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a contributing member of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, a goal of the project is preserving its historic design elements. The construction project began in May 2020 with partial closure of the bridge, and was fully closed to traffic on January 4, 2021. The bridge was originally anticipated to reopen November 2022 but was delayed.[2] The bridge reopened on October 28, 2023.[3]

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zschomler, Kristen for Mead & Hunt. 2006. Minnesota Historic Property Record: Third Avenue Bridge. Minnesota Department of Transportation (dot.state.mn.us). August 22, 2011.
  2. Web site: Highway 65/Third Avenue Bridge - MnDOT . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210117231613/https://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy65andthirdavebridge/ . 17 January 2021 . 28 January 2023 . Minnesota Department of Transportation.
  3. Web site: 2023-10-28 . After 3 years of construction, Minneapolis's Third Avenue bridge is back open - CBS Minnesota . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240430234739/https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/after-3-years-of-construction-minneapolis-third-ave-bridge-is-back-open/ . 2024-04-30 . 2024-04-30 . CBS News Minnesota.