The Sauk Rapids Bridge was a steel spandrel braced arch bridge that spanned the Mississippi River between the cities of St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids in the U.S. state of Minnesota . It was built in 1942 and was designed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation . The bridge consisted of three spans supported by two piers. It crossed the Mississippi River one-half mile (0.8 km) downstream from the rapids of the Sauk River. The river is still rough and fast-flowing at this location.
7-637: With the opening of the new Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge , located a short distance upstream, on October 23, 2007, the Sauk Rapids Bridge had been closed to all traffic. After the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis on August 1, 2007, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty ordered the Sauk Rapids Bridge and two other bridges in Minnesota to be inspected. The three bridges have
14-480: A design similar to that of the former I-35W bridge. The bridge was inspected on August 4 and found to be structurally sound. As of March 2008, the bridge had been completely dismantled. [1] This article about a bridge in Minnesota is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge The Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge is a bridge spanning the Mississippi River in
21-490: The BNSF Railway on the east bank of the river. Traffic flow is no longer disrupted during train crossings; this was a frequent problem with the former bridge. The new span relied heavily on steel for its construction rather than concrete to reduce the number of piers needed to be placed in the river. This design choice increased the project cost by $ 2.3 million USD to a total cost estimated at $ 56.63 million. Construction of
28-479: The U. S. city of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota . Construction began on September 26, 2005; the bridge was completed in September 2007 and opened to traffic on October 23, 2007. The official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on November 16, 2007. The bridge replaced the former Sauk Rapids Bridge , located a short distance downriver, which was demolished in the fall and winter of 2007-2008. The new bridge spans
35-415: The bridge land beyond Benton Drive (Sauk Rapids' "main street") on Second Avenue and connect with Second Street North. The city feared that such a design would adversely affect businesses in the downtown area and desired instead that the bridge land on Benton Drive. Benton County's stake in the project ( Stearns County being the other contributor) was eventually handed over to the city, and it was elected that
42-413: The bridge of itself cost an estimated $ 20.46 million, with other costs including right-of-way purchases, road construction, and a program to help businesses affected by the project relocate elsewhere in downtown Sauk Rapids. The entire project was large in scope, due to the amount of business and residential properties that were affected by its chosen location. When the Sauk Rapids Bridge project began, it
49-452: Was considered to be the first downtown transportation project of its kind nationwide in terms of the scale of relocations of businesses that were necessary. The success of the project may set a precedent for future bridges. The original design of the bridge was hotly contested between Benton County and the City of Sauk Rapids, and the dispute was nearly taken to court. The county had wished that
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