Introduction
Although most old bridges get demolished when they are obsolete, a few remain. These are the ones I've found in the Twin Cities Metro Area.

Old Cedar Avenue Bridge: Bloomington
The fixed bridge over Long Meadow Lake in 1999, looking south. Note a section of the new freeway bridge in the background at left. Before the bridge was closed, the wood planking was covered with plywood to make it easier on bicyclists.
The end of the bridge in 1999, looking north.
Norton and Peel, Minnesota Historical Society
The old swing span over the Minnesota River, 1950.
Originally built in 1920, in 1979 this stretch of Cedar Ave. was bypassed by the freeway. There used to be two bridges: A swing bridge over the Minnesota River itself, and a longer fixed bridge over Long Meadow Lake. Upon completion of the freeway, the swing bridge was demolished, while the fixed bridge was turned back to the city of Bloomington for local access.

It functioned as such for over a decade, but in 1993 was declared unsafe for motorized vehicles, and was used only to access a bicycle crossing that was built as part of the freeway for the next decade. Finally it was closed to all traffic on Dec 6, 2002.

Right now, the city of Bloomington is trying to figure out what to do with it. There are basically three options:
1. Totally demolish the bridge and build an earth causeway (in conjunction with a proposed gas pipeline. Bloomington tried to do this a decade ago but it was blocked by the DNR because of impacts to the wetland.
2. Repair the deck. This would be the cheapest option and would preserve the bridge, which may be listed as a historic site. Unfortunately the superstructure has decayed beyond the point of no return, and will only last for another 25 years at most.
3. Demolish the deck and superstructure and build a new bridge on existing piers. This bridge would presumably be closed to public motorized travel, but would be a 5 ton design to allow park maintenance vehicles. This is the current preferred plan, but there is no money to pay for the estimated $5,000,000 cost.

Shakopee Bridge
Looking north from Shakopee across the river to Chanhassen. The old road surface ends right where I'm standing. Note the street lights, which are still energized.
Closeup of the bridge railing, looking northeast. Not the new bridge in the background, and the Jersey barriers that were added at some point to supplement the ornamental steel railings.
The north end of the bridge. You can see the new road in the distance.
Bronze plaque on the bridge. Mn/DOT was known as the Minnesota Highway Department until 1970.

Profile of the bridge, looking northeast.
Minnesota Historical Society
What the bridge looked like in 1950. This is looking southwest from the north shore roughly where the new bridge is, at a reverse angle from above. The new road and the overgrowth of trees makes it impossible to photograph a modern view from this angle.
Originally built for the former Route 6 in 1927, for most of it's life it was used for US 169 crossing from Shakopee into what became Eden Prairie. In the early 1990's a new bridge was built one block east, and the old bridge was retained as a pedestrian crossing. Upon the completion of the Bloomington Ferry Bridge, US 169 was routed onto that and the not-so-old bridge was turned back to Carver and Scott Counties, ending 75 years of state maintained crossings here.


J.A.R. Bridge
Looking east at the old tollbooth from the approach road. Note the steel of the upper deck railway bridge.
Minnesota Historical Society
The bridge as it looked in 1934. A car cost 20 cents, a sheep cost 3 cents. The tollbooth appears to be on the bridge itself, not on the west shore as it was in later years.
Although locally called the "Newport" bridge, it is actually between Inver Grove Heights and South St. Paul. The freeway bridge nearby, the pre-interstate Wakota Bridge, is one of the worst bottlenecks in the metro area, so many locals gladly paid 75 cents to bypass it. It used to be the only bridge between downtown St. Paul and Hastings, and was the original routing of the first Twin Cities beltway; MN 100.

This is a two level bridge, with a railroad on top, and a roadway on bottom, built in 1895. Rail service was discontinued in 1980, and the bridge was sold to a Joan and Allan Roman of Chicagoland; special legislation was needed to allow a private toll bridge in the state.

In 1999, this bridge was declared unsafe, and was closed down since the owners didn't have money to rehabilitate it. The bridge passed into Washington County ownership due to tax forfeit in 2003, and the county has no interest in restoring or rebuilding it, which could cost  $10,000,000. Additionally it was damaged in a fire in 2005, and there are navigational and "Homeland Security" issues due to the proximity of an oil refinery.  Recently the approach road on the western side was given to the refinery. The county is now exploring options for removal, which could cost $2,000,000 and happen by 2008.

Normandale Bridge
A closeup of the bridge looking south. The railroad bridge is on the right, and on the left you can see where they highway bridge used to by the extra space on the beam.
A profile view of the area (along with a passing barge), looking west.
The end of the pavement, which is barricaded about 100 yards behind. This is looking south.
Between Savage and Bloomington there used to be a one lane highway bridge along with the railroad swing bridge. It was originally part of the trunk highway system until the Shakopee Bridge was built in the late 1920s.

It reminded under local control until it was closed in the early 1980s. It was clear it could not handle modern traffic volumes, and there were several accidents at the queue on the Bloomington side, where the descent down the bluff and the foliage made it difficult to see the stopped traffic ahead.

Hudson Toll Bridge
This archway formerly welcomed motorists to Hudson. Notice the decent condition of the 75 year old concrete.
Near the end of the causeway, at the wide spot where the toll house used to be, is a public beach. Had this been a summer weekend there would have been a lot more people here.
Beyond the beach, all that is left of the old bridge is these concrete piers.
Overview of the causeway from the Wisconsin shore, looking southwest. You can see the extant fixed span on through the tree on the left, and the beach at the right. The Minnesota shore is in the background, and it blends in with the trees on the causeway, giving it the illusion of going all the way across.
Minnesota Historical Society
The bridge as it looked in 1917. Note the toll house where the bridge meets the causeway at right.
Minnesota Historical Society
The toll house, sometime between 1925 and 1935.
The Hudson Toll Bridge between Hudson and Minnesota was built in 1911.  After a new bridge (which was incorporated into the interstate system and lasted until the 1990s) was built south of here in 1951, the high bridge was demolished. The causeway and a low level fixed span remained, becoming a park.


Page last updated: September 2006