Sauk Rapids Bridge

Sauk Rapids Bridge
The Sauk Rapids Bridge, as viewed from the east bank of the Mississippi River, north of the bridge
Carries	Two lanes connecting First Street South, Sauk Rapids, MN and Ninth Avenue North, St. Cloud, MN (previously Minnesota State Highway 152 and Minnesota State Highway 15), pedestrians
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Maintained by	Minnesota Department of Transportation
ID number	5947
Design	Three-span steel spandrel braced arch bridge
Total length	565 feet
Width	38 feet
Longest span	175 feet
Clearance below	12 feet
Opened	1942
Closed	2007 (planned)
Coordinates	45°35′11″N 94°10′10″W / 45.58639°N 94.16944°W / 45.58639; -94.16944

The Sauk Rapids Bridge was a steel spandrel braced arch bridge that spanned the Mississippi River between the cities of St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was built in 1942 and was designed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The bridge consisted of three spans supported by two piers. It crossed the Mississippi River half a mile downstream from the rapids of the Sauk River. The river is still rough and fast-flowing at this location.

With the opening of the new Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge, located a short distance upstream, on October 23, 2007, the Sauk Rapids Bridge had been closed to all traffic.

After the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis on August 1, 2007, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty ordered the Sauk Rapids Bridge and two other bridges in Minnesota to be inspected. The three bridges have a design similar to that of the former I-35W bridge.^[1]

The bridge was inspected on August 4 and found to be structurally sound.

As of March 2008, the bridge had been completely dismantled.[1]

See also

• Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge
• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

References

General references

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

Cited references

1. ^ "Update: St. Cloud's DeSoto bridge slated for immediate inspection". The St. Cloud Times. 2007-08-02. http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS01/108020071. Retrieved 2007-08-02. ^{[dead link]}