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Stone Arch Bridge repairs: What's happening this week
The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis will be closed for much of the next two years for repairs. Here’s a look at the preparation for that work and the expected timeline.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis will be closed for much of the next two years for repairs. Starting Monday, crews will be using an inspection truck to measure stones that need to be replaced.
The Stone Arch Bridge carried railroad traffic for nearly a century until it reopened as a pedestrian bridge in 1994. But the Minnesota Department of Transportation is now getting ready for a major construction project that will put the bridge out of commission for the next two years.
Bike and pedestrian impacts: During this first phase of inspection work, which should take a few weeks, the bridge will remain open to pedestrians. During construction, pedestrians and bicyclists will not be able to cross the full length of the bridge. But MnDOT says crews will close only half of the bridge at a time during construction, allowing people to walk or bike to the middle of the bridge and turn around at the closure.
What's being repaired? Over the next two years crews will repair and replace stones and mortar along the entire 2,100-foot-long bridge, which will remain closed until the fall of 2025. The project is expected to wrap up by spring of 2026.
The Stone Arch Bridge is a Minneapolis landmark that has been around for more than 140 years, and is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.