Plymouth Avenue Bridge
The original bridge at this location was a wooden Howe truss design, built in 1873. It was built when Minneapolis, then only on the west side of the river, consolidated with the city of St. Anthony, on the east side of the river. As part of the merger, Minneapolis agreed to build two bridges, one upstream of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge and one downstream. That bridge was replaced in 1886 with an iron truss bridge. It was remodeled in 1913 and then raised in 1953 for more clearance. The bridge was closed in 1981 because the floor beams were deteriorated by corrosion over the years. The current bridge was constructed two years later.
On Friday, October 22, 2010, the Plymouth Avenue Bridge was closed indefinitely "as a precaution, pending further investigation after a routine inspection discovered corrosion on cables that run through the bridge." The bridge was reopened to foot traffic on Thursday, January 6, 2011, after engineers determined that the bridge was safe for pedestrian and bicycle use. Use by vehicular traffic was not allowed until corroded cables could be replaced, a project that, following several delays, was completed as of August 9, 2013.
References
- ^ "Plymouth Avenue Bridge closed after check discovers corrosion". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ "Plymouth Avenue Bridge reopens to foot traffic". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Plymouth Ave Bridge over Mississippi River". Official Website of the City Of Minneapolis. City of Minneapolis, MN. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ "Plymouth Av. Bridge to reopen in October". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
- "Bridges 2005: Lost Bridges". Minneapolis Riverfront District Bridges. 2005. Retrieved 2006-05-11.