Message from Council Member Kevin Reich

Bridges are essential infrastructure in a city bisected by a river, a fact was brought home with a vengeance with the 35W Bridge collapse in 2007. It’s being brought home again this summer as the Camden Bridge is closed for reconstruction.

Built in 1975, the Camden Bridge had deteriorated by 2004 to the point that it needed repairs to maintain public safety. When American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (http://www.recovery.gov) funding became available in 2010, the City of Minneapolis decided to go ahead with the necessary repairs now rather than wait until the bridge deteriorated to the point that it needed complete replacement. The bridge has been closed since April and is on track to reopen sometime between the last week in August and the first week in September. While the five months of closure have been a trial for many of us, this project is being completed relatively quickly and will mean significant savings of maintenance costs in the future, since City crews had been spending approximately one month a year on painting and deck patching.

Bridges don’t just span rivers. The St. Anthony Parkway Bridge, which is scheduled for replacement, runs over the Burlington Santa Fe Railway Co. (BNSF) Northtown Rail Yard. A Warren through truss bridge that was built in 1925, it is currently structurally deficient and fracture critical. Public Works has assembled the funding for this project from a number of sources and is working on a final design. As part of this process, there will be several public meetings on various aspects of this project. One of the important aspects of the project that needs to be weighed is the impact it will have on two historic resources: the bridge itself and St. Anthony Parkway. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have questions or concerns to voice on this project.