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There's nothing more to see here

Posted at 3:22 PM on October 1, 2008 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Bridges and roads

The I-35W bridge "viewing area" is being dismantled. The "sidewalk" on the 10th Avenue Bridge was created shortly after the bridge collapse in August 2007 to accommodate the thousands of people who wanted a look at the site of the tragedy.

Now that the new bridge is built, there's nothing more to see.

According to a city news release:

On Oct. 5, that pedestrian area will be removed and the fourth traffic lane and bicycle lane will be restored. After that time, the only pedestrian access to the bridge will be the sidewalk on the downstream side of the bridge, as it was in the past.

For the next several weeks, drivers on the 10th Avenue Bridge may encounter some temporary lane restrictions as crews carry out additional bridge inspection work. Once that work is finished, full traffic access will be restored.

The city says one of the best places to view the new bridge is along West River Parkway, which is now open in the bridge area. MnDOT is also planning to open "viewing platforms" on both ends of the new bridge.

The 10th Avenue Bridge will close to traffic at 6 a.m. on Sunday through late afternoon.

Comments (3)

Hey, Bob.

When I took an evening river cruise a few weeks ago, I noticed that they lit up the sides of the nearly-finished bridge when it became dark with changing-colored lights.

Do they intend to continue the practice?

Posted by Paul | October 1, 2008 4:42 PM

Picture.

Another picture.

Posted by Paul | October 1, 2008 4:44 PM

mark Wheat and I were talking about this yesterday afternoon. We have our own "mood bridge," the colors reflect the mood of the Twin Cities. (g)

The lighting, as you pointed out, can be changed w.r.t. colors and a pattern for changing them. They can rotate colors so that it looks like the entrance to the Tamarack Village Mall in Woodbury, for example. Or it can retain a particular color for a theme, like the Empire State Building.

It's amazing what $250 million will buy you!

Posted by Bob Collins | October 1, 2008 5:05 PM

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