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Minnesota Bridges: Above Average (But Still In Disrepair)

julie — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:54:50 +0000

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Wondering about the current state of Minnesota’s bridges? Transportation for America has you covered. They’ve been releasing state-by-state reports on the state of bridge infrastructure in each state. Minnesota was one of their early releases, as Minnesota also offers one of the horror stories about the worst-case scenario for a bad bridge with the I35W bridge.

The report is a mix of standardized information included in every report, along with some specific information about bridge conditions in the state. The Minnesota report reveals many facts, including:

Out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, Minnesota ranks 34th worst nationally for the state of its bridges.
Of Minnesota’s 13,068 highway bridges, 1,149 of those bridges are structurally deficient (1 in 11)
The average age of Minnesota bridges is 35.2 years; bridges are typically built with 50-year life expectancies. Almost 2,900 existing Minnesota bridges are already older than 50 years.

Many structurally deficient bridges are in rural areas and carry lower volumes of cars. Seven of the top 10 most trafficked deficient bridges are in Ramsey County, with 2 additional of these high volume bridges in Hennepin County. The last bridge in the top 10 for volume is in St. Louis County (Duluth). Note that three of the Ramsey County bridges are the MN52 River Crossing, which apparently is statistically considered three spans. (I can kind of see why.)

The report provides solid information about the proportion of funding used for maintenance versus expanding the highway system, and features a really nice color-coded map of Minnesota’s counties and their bridge situations. The information is extremely valuable in light of current discussions about the gas tax, the new Transportation Bill, and budget issues. Minnesota continues to deal with bridge issues, ranging from bridges on I-34 and I-94 to city and county bridges like the Plymouth Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, currently closed to vehicles pending finding the money to repair corroded cables. The Lift Bridge in Stillwater continues to get a lot of press, as Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN6), Senator Amy Klobuchar (DFL), and Governor Mark Dayton (DFL) all work in various ways to get a new St. Croix river crossing approved. This report shows that these bridges in the news are just the ones getting coverage, and are by no means the extent of Minnesota’s infrastructure problem.

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I35W Bridge Updates on MapQuest

julie — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:11:42 +0000

MapQuest has a very cool post about how they work with data sources to ensure accuracy of routing directions that focuses on the loss – and recent reopening – of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis.

It’s rare that my work life as an Internet Alpha Geek has this kind of overlap into the stuff I discuss here on Ride Boldly!

I35W Bridge Update

julie — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:22:58 +0000

As they continue to build the I35W bridge – while also doing construction work on MN36 and MN280, completely making my commute near-impossible, and helping me go through my THIRD windshield this year – a Colorado paper has an interesting ‘outside’ perspective on the bridge project. The bridge is being built by a Colorado company, so this coverage is more on the mechanics than on the aftermath of the bridge tragedy.

Minnehaha Parkway Closure

julie — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:52:32 +0000

Parts of Minnehaha Parkway under I35W will be closed for several weeks to allow some of the bridge work contruction, according to MNDOT and the Star-Tribune. some of the paths – pedestrian and bicycle – will be kept open throughout.

I’m not sure if the city actively plow those paths as they do the Cedar Lake Trail and the Greenway, seeing as I don’t spend a lot of time in a bike in Minneapolis in winter, and if there’s enough snow to need plowing I’d rather be on skis or snowshoes or making a snow person. All of which should be counted as ‘cross training,’ for the record.

New I35W Bridge Design

julie — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:27:44 +0000

The new I35W bridge design is now online. It’s boring. Really… boring. And I’m ok with that, as I don’t know that the Mississippi crossing there is suitable for something wild like Rotterdam’s Erasmus Bridge:

However, I note something in the Star-Tribune article on the new I35W design:

The bridge is also designed to accommodate a pedestrian bridge, which could be suspended from the underside of the deck.

Let me get this straight: It’s the most expensive bid, and the design ‘can accomodate’ a pedestrian bridge? It’s not integrated? It’s not going to be built in the first place?

THAT makes me cranky. While there are additional nearby options for cyclists, the more crossings for cyclists and pedestrians, the better.

More Traffic Shenanigans

julie — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:07:42 +0000

Minneapolis is looking for federal funds for a stoplight at the corner of 6th and University. This is right ‘uphill’ from the Stone Arch Bridge.

The request is based on much of the traffic rerouting around the collapsed I35W bridge. Minneapolis believes a stop light there would encourage pedestrian and cyclists commuting to downtown via this route.

I know that this intersection is a challenge to cross, regardless of the re-route, and is a popular intersection with both cyclists and locals — there’s a Dunn Bros Coffee there that is clearly a popular place to study and hang out. A light here would be of great benefit to local users. I’m not sure but that it wouldn’t create yet-more-backup along the street routes being used by cars to get around the bridge, however.

10th Avenue Bridge: Re-opening Finally?

julie — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:52:28 +0000

The Strib reports that the 10th Avenue Bridge will re-open Friday, most likely to all traffic. Prior solutions discussed had suggested that bicycles, pedestrians, and mass transit would be allowed through, but not automobiles.

This, along with the Dinkytown Connector re-opening , will certainly help with traffic issues that always occur when school starts at the University of Minnesota.

Dinkytown Bridge Re-Opened

julie — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:57:34 +0000

With the Dinkytown Bridge re-opened, back-to-school just got a whole lot simpler at U of M. I can’t imagine what a pain it would have been to have that closed for the start of classes.

Cyclists are still ‘short’ the bridge at 10th, but that stands to be the case for a good while. The Dinkytown Bridge wasn’t really being used for I35W bridge recovery efforts, and the closure was just political hoo-ha.

Thinking about it, it ought to be interesting to see what controversies the increased use of 4th Avenue and University Avenue by cars creates as fall commences. Those are major cycling thru-ways for U of M students, and vehicular traffic has increased a lot there.

Transportation Policy: Pretty Messed Up

julie — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:31:52 +0000

So, living here in the land of ALL BRIDGE ALL THE TIME, I’m getting a close-up view of how messed up US transportation policy really is.

A lot of infrastructure’s been neglected, or taken for granted, in the era of ‘no new taxes’ and small government. One bridge collapsed. Others are on the line for replacement, and were even prior to this collapse.

A 10-lane bridge with a bicycle crossing has been proposed to replace the I35-W bridge. That’s fine. I’m in favor of building as many roads with suitable infrastructure for cyclists as possible. There’s debate about building the bridge to accomodate light-rail transit (LRT) as well. A line is under consideration to run very near there, over a bridge that is basically fine… but would need a huge overhaul to handle trains.

It’s being said that the feds won’t help fund such a construction project, but will only replace the bridge with a similar bridge (no rapid transit). This is pretty messed up. If when infrastructure needs drastic work — and many highways, as well as bridges, do and will — if we cannot adapt them to forward-looking uses, what’s the freaking point? We can add lanes for more car traffic, but not mass transit, under this formula. What?

Cranky.

Stone Arch Bridge Reopens

julie — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 20:13:25 +0000

The Star-Tribune reports that the Stone Arch Bridge has re-opened in Minneapolis. The City’s website hasn’t caught up.

I use ‘reopen’ loosely, given that it will be a prime vantage point for spectators. The usual people on the Stone Arch follow lane conventions — they’re marked. I’m not optimistic that some of the people who come to view the late I-35W bridge will pay attention.

Once the weekend is over, it provides a usable crossing for bike commuters, as while W. River Road remains closed, much of the surrounding area can be accessed via Portland going up from the river.