I-694 Bridge

The I-694 Bridge is a pair of girder bridges that spans the Mississippi River between the cities of Brooklyn Center and Fridley in Minnesota. The westbound bridge was built in 1963 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and widened in 1987 with a new structure above the piers. The eastbound bridge was built in 1988, also by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

I-694 Bridge
Coordinates	45°04′09″N 93°16′54″W
Carries	Four lanes of I-694 westbound Four lanes of Interstate 694 eastbound
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Fridley, Minnesota
Maintained by	Minnesota Department of Transportation
ID number	9321 (westbound) 27801 (eastbound)
Characteristics
Design	Girder bridge
Total length	776 feet
Width	74 feet
Longest span	200 feet
Clearance below	43 feet
History
Opened	1963 (westbound) 1988 (eastbound)
Bridges over the Mississippi near Minneapolis

The former eastbound bridge was authorized in April 1942 at the beginning of World War II as a wartime construction link of Minnesota State Highway 100 to New Brighton, Minnesota.[1] When Interstate 694 was built, the Highway 100 bridge was widened and used for the eastbound lanes, while a new bridge was built for the westbound lanes. The eastbound bridge, showing its age, was demolished in 1988 and a new bridge was built.

This bridge is Minnesota's second-busiest,[2] carrying 150,000 cars per day. There is a sidewalk on the north side of the bridge allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to cross.[3]

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

References

1. Northern Pump Company (1942-11-09). News Stories of the Northern Pump Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from September 24th, 1940-[Nov. 9, 1942]. Minneapolis, Minn.
2. Weeks, John A. III (2007). "I-35W Bridge Collapse Myths And Conspiracies". John A. Weeks III.
3. "Mississippi National River and Recreation Area - Regional Park Loop". U.S. National Park Service. 2006.

• Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.