Lowry Avenue Bridge

The Lowry Avenue Bridge is a steel tied-arch bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, completed in October 2012.[1]

Lowry Avenue Bridge
The new bridge, completed in 2012 and pictured in 2015
Coordinates45°00′47″N 93°16′28″W
CarriesFour lanes of CSAH 153 (Lowry Avenue North)
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleMinneapolis, Minnesota
Maintained byHennepin County, Minnesota
ID number27B60
Characteristics
DesignBasket handle tied-arch bridge, steel
Total length1,576 feet (480 m)
Width107 feet (33 m)
Longest span450 feet (137 m)
Clearance below37 feet (11 m)
History
OpenedOctober 2012
Mississippi River bridges in Minneapolis. Lowry Ave. Bridge is the third bridge.
Lowry Avenue Bridge
A view of the 1958 bridge from the west bank of the Mississippi south of the bridge, showing four of the five truss spans.
Coordinates 45°00′47″N 93°16′28″W
CarriesTwo lanes of CSAH 153 (Lowry Avenue North)
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleMinneapolis, Minnesota
Maintained byHennepin County, Minnesota
ID number2723(726)
Characteristics
DesignTruss bridge
Total length889 feet
Width57.2 feet
Longest span143 feet
Clearance below33 feet
History
Opened1905; remodeled in 1958, 2006
Closed2008 (demolished 2009)
Statistics
Daily traffic16,600 (2001)

History

The original structure was built in 1905 and utilized a 5-span truss bridge design.[2] This bridge lasted 51 years until it became too weak to carry traffic.

In 1958, five new truss spans were built in this location, using the same piers but raised 20 feet to allow navigation on the upper Mississippi River. This bridge was notable in that it had a steel grid deck where the river was visible directly through the mesh, as opposed to the (currently) more common concrete deck.[3]

Lead-based paint was removed from the bridge during a 2004 repainting effort and the steel grid deck was replaced in 2003. At this time, the bridge was expected to be replaced in the mid-2010s, and community meetings were held in 2007 to choose a design for the new span. However, the timetable to replace the bridge was accelerated as the condition of the 100-year-old piers deteriorated.

During the 2004 repainting, engineers discovered that the pier 3 bearings (east side of navigation channel) had displaced roughly 11 inches east of their original location as a result of unexpected movement of that pier (west) towards the main river channel. Hennepin County contracted with Wiss, Janey, Elstner and Associates (WJE) to investigate and report on the cause and extent of damage. The consultant's report concluded that evidence suggested the pier underwent many years, perhaps 50, of creep deflection due to sustained lateral earth pressure at the foundation which was held in check by the bearing assemblies. The bearing assemblies ultimate strength was finally overcome sometime in 2004 which allowed the unrestrained and rapid movement of the pier. The structural engineers at WJE were unable to predict the magnitude of future pier displacements.[4]

Hennepin County, which owns and maintains the bridge, closed the bridge at 10:00 AM on April 25, 2008 due to safety concerns.[2][5] Controlled explosions were used to demolish the bridge spans 14 months later on the morning of June 21, 2009.

Construction of the $80 million replacement bridge began early 2010 and was opened for traffic on October 27, 2012, at a cost of $104 million.[6] The bridge includes a protected, 12-foot (3.7 m) shared-use path on both sides for pedestrians and bikes.[7]

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See also

References
  1. Drew Kerr (October 26, 2012). "Rolling out the Lowry Avenue bridge". Finance & Commerce. The Lowry Avenue bridge is opening on Saturday, Oct. 27, four years after officials demolished its predecessor. The new bridge includes an anti-icing system, LED lighting and a storm water management system.
  2. Blake, Laurie (2009-06-21). "Lowry Avenue Bridge". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  3. Walsh, Paul (2009-06-21). "Lowry Av. Bridge coming down today". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  4. LOWRY AVENUE BRIDGE:Investigation of Westward Displacement of Pier 3, 2004 - Wiss, Janey, Elstner and Associates
  5. Foti, Jim (2008-04-25). "Lowry Avenue Bridge to be shut down". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  6. "New Lowry Bridge Still On Track To Reopen In Summer". February 15, 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  7. Johnson, Matt M. "Lowry Avenue Bridge is a new take on the arch". Finance & Commerce. February 15, 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
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