Prior to the railroad era, rivers were the primary transportation and exploration arteries. And many major US cities owe their existence and growth to these rivers. Minneapolis & St. Paul (the misnamed "Twin Cities") are situated above and below Fort Snelling which is positioned at the confluence of the Minnesota and the mighty Mississippi River. (How did a river with its source in Minnesota get named "Mississippi" by the way? If rivers are named based on their mouths, the Tennessee should be the Ohio and the Ohio should be the Missouri. Probably too late to make these changes.)
But I digress.
In modern times, any city where a river runs through it, its bridges are key features of the city's landscape and history.
The biking challenge I proposed was to cross the Mississippi River as many times as possible before fatigue halts the exercise - without recrossing any bridge.
So here goes.
#1 We start our ride with the 494 bridge just southeast of the MSP Airport. (This is actually connects Bloomington and Mendota Heights and crosses the Minnesota River so I've already messed up the thesis.)
494 Bridge
Concrete girder constructionopened 1982
4509' in length (longest bridge of the ride)
This is a dreadful bridge for a biker. Even though there is a concrete barrier between the road and path, heavy, high speed traffic, lots of trucks kicking up sand and wind blasts make it a real slog.
494 Bridge (that's not me btw) |
#2 Proceeding north through Fort Snelling State Park - a nice ride in itself - we cross the Mendota Bridge which connects Minneapolis to Mendota Heights. This is known to locals as the "Mile Long bridge", although it's a bit short of that. It crosses (the Minnesota River) just below the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi at Fort Snelling. This is a beautifully constructed concrete arch bridge but also dreadful to bike across for the same reasons as 494, plus it's 75' above the river and the wind howls.
Mendota Bridge
Concrete arch
opened 1926
4119' long
Mendota Bridge |
#3 At the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota, we cross the Fort Bridge, also known as the Highway 5 bridge (or the 7th St. bridge if you are from St. Paul). This crosses the Mississippi and puts you in St. Paul.
Fort Bridge aka 7th St Bridge
Crosses the Mississippi at Fort Snelling becoming St Paul 7th St.Steel plate girder
opened 1961
1198' long
Fort Bridge |
Fort Snelling |
#4 Following along the Mississippi River north, we reach the Ford Bridge at 46th St/Ford Parkway. The bridge sits just above Mississippi Lock & Dam #1. It is known as the Ford bridge due to its proximity the Ford auto plant (demolished in 2014) and is officially the "Intercity Bridge".
Ford Bridge a.k.a. Intercity Bridge
Crosses the Mississippi at 46th St - Ford Parkway. Mpls on the west, St Paul on eastConcrete arch
opened 1927
1523' long
Ford Bridge & former Ford Truck Plant Site |
#5 Continuing north following the "Grand Rounds" bike trail along the Mississippi, we reach the Lake Street Bridge (or Marshall Street Bridge if you are from St.Paul).
Lake St Bridge
Crosses Mississippi at Lake St (mpls) Marshall (St. Paul)
Concrete arch, concrete girders
#6 Continuing north on the east bank, we reach a National Register of Historic Places landmark, the fabulous Franklin Ave Bridge. A beauty of a bridge with a beauty of an intersection on the east end, miserable place to be stuck at a red light.
Franklin Ave Bridge
Steel reinforced concrete archOpened 1923
1054' long
#7 Next up is the 10th Ave bridge, also on the National Register of Historic Places, due to its classic arch design.
10th Ave Bridge
Crosses Mississippi between 19th Ave S & 10th SE north of the UConcrete Arch
opened 1929
2921' long
10th Ave Bridge |
I include the Dartmouth Bridge (I94) for completeness, but you would have to be crazy to cross it on a bike.
I94 / Dartmouth
Freeway bridge - No bike trafficSteel girder
Opened 1964
1001' long
Dartmouth/I94 Bridge |
#8 Just beyond is the creative Washington Ave bridge, a 2 level bridge which triples as an auto, light rail & pedestrian-bike bridge linking the East & West Bank campuses of the University of Minnesota. It overlooks Bohemian Flats (stay tuned).
Washington Ave Bridge
Steel plate girder
opened 1965
1131' long
#9 Next one of my favorites, the NP #9 railroad bridge, now a strictly pedestrian-biking bridge and serving as a short-cut from the University of Minnesota to downtown Minneapolis.1131' long
NP Bridge #9
Steel deck / truss
opened 1922
Abandoned Northern Pacific railroad bridge reincarnated as a bike/pedestrian bridge connecting East/West bank U 1999
922' long
922' long
NP #9 |
35W Bridge
Precast concrete segment
1216'
new bridge opened 2008
#11 My favorite bridge. The railroad tycoon, J.J. Hill built the Stone Arch Bridge, a railway bridge to serve the Union Depot in Minneapolis. It was converted to a pedestrian/bikeway opening in 1994 and offering a fabulous view of St. Anthony Falls to the north.
Stone Arch Bridge
JJ Hill's Great Northern RR bridge
Opened 1883
2100'
Opened as Bike/Pedestrian bridge 1994
Opened 1883
2100'
Opened as Bike/Pedestrian bridge 1994
Stone Arch Bridge |
3rd Ave Bridge
Concrete archOpened 1918
2223' long
3rd Ave Bridge a.k.a. St Anthony Falls bridge |
#12 Next is the elegant Father Hennepin Bridge, the only suspension bridge on the list. This was the site of the very first permanent bridge in Minneapolis constructed in 1854. It has been called ".. the most elegant and stylish bridge to span the mighty river".
Father Hennepin Bridge
Site of 1st permanent Mpls bridge 1854Steel suspension
Opened 1990
1037' long
#13 North of downtown, we reach the Plymouth Ave Bridge - or the 8th Ave Bridge to Nordeasters'. The original bridge on this site (1873) was a wood truss structure.
Plymouth Ave Bridge
Crosses Mississippi at Plymouth (20th N) Ave to 8th Ave NEConcrete box girder
opened 1983
944' long
#14 Next up, the Broadway Ave bridge, a pretty generic looking bridge, but ... the 45th parallel crosses the Mississippi about 300' north of the bridge, meaning the bridge is almost exactly half way between the equator and the north pole. (from John Weeks website)
Broadway Ave Bridge
Steel girder
#15 Next, another favorite and ignoring the no trespassing signs & we gingerly walk the bikes across.Abandoned NP-BNSF RR Bridge
#16 Next we reach the modernistic Lowry Avenue Bridge, named of course for the railroad/streetcar tycoon, Thomas Lowry, more famously known for the Minnesota village that bears his name. (Had to recross this bridge as there is no "nice" way north on the west side - fail.)Lowry Ave Bridge
original 1905opened 2012
1576' long
Lowry Ave Bridge |
#17 And at last we reach Minneapolis north and the Camden Ave Bridge (or 37th Ave Bridge if you're a Nordeaster). This bridge connects two parkways on either side of the river.
Camden Ave Bridge
Connecting 42nd Ave N with 37th ave NE
Steel plate girder
opened 1977
1686' long
If you're interested in more bridge history and technical specifics, see John Weeks excellent site on Minnesota bridges. http://www.johnweeks.com/bridges/index.html
Copyright © 2015 Dave Hoplin
Copyright © 2015 Dave Hoplin
That was great.
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