Mendota Bridge
Aerial view of the Mendota Bridge from the south.
Coordinates44°53′14″N 93°10′39″W / 44.887341°N 93.177564°W / 44.887341; -93.177564
CarriesFour lanes of MN 55 / MN 62
CrossesMinnesota River
LocaleMendota Heights and Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Maintained byMinnesota Department of Transportation
ID number4190
Characteristics
Design13 arch spans
Total length4,113 ft (1,254 m)[1]
Width71 ft (22 m)
Longest span304 ft (93 m)[1]
Clearance below100 ft (30 m)
History
Opened1926, 1994
Statistics
Daily traffic39000 vehicles/day
Location

The Mendota Bridge (full name Fort Snelling–Mendota Bridge), in the US state of Minnesota carries State Highway 55 (MN 55) and MN 62 over the Minnesota River between Fort Snelling and Mendota Heights. It is the final bridge over the Minnesota River before the Minnesota flows into the Mississippi River at the "Meeting of the waters" or "Mendota" in the Dakota language. Traffic on the north end of the bridge may turn onto the Fort Road Bridge (MN 5) to cross the Mississippi River into Saint Paul, Minnesota. The skylines of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul can be seen simultaneously from the bridge.

History

The structure was designed by C.A.P. Turner and Walter H. Wheeler.[2] Turner also designed the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minnesota, and the Liberty Memorial Bridge between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota.

Underside of the bridge showing detail of the arches, spandrels, and deck

The bridge is dedicated to the "Gopher Gunners", 151st Field Artillery who died in World War I.[3]

It has a length of 4,113 feet (1,254 m) and was the longest continuous concrete arch bridge in the world when it was constructed in 1924–1926. It consists of 13 arches each 304 feet (93 m) wide.[1] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Between 1940 and 1965, the bridge also carried the concurrent designation of MN 100.

From 1992 to 1994, the old bridge was demolished down to the arches and rebuilt from the arches up with the new wider deck two feet (0.61 m) higher than the original.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Minnesota Department of Transportation (June 15, 2006). "Bridge Number 4190: Executive summary" (PDF). Historic Bridge Management Plan. Minnesota Department of Transportation. p. 1. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  2. ↑ Frame, Robert M. (April 27, 2006). "Bridge Number 4190" (PDF). Minnesota Historic Property Records. pp. 1–2. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Historic Sites: Mendota". Dakota County Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
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