Interlachen Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name=Interlachen Bridge

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caption=
official_name=
carries=Two lanes of William Berry Parkway
crosses=The Como-Harriet Streetcar Line a former Twin City Rapid Transit streetcar line now operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum
locale=Minneapolis, Minnesota
maint=Minneapolis Park Board
id=
design=Concrete arch using the Melan reinforcement systemcite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/bridges/nrheilb/desc.html|title=Interlachen Bridge - Description|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|date=1996|accessdate=2008-03-12]
mainspan=38.6 feet
length=40 feet
width=63 feet
clearance=
below=16 feet
traffic=
open=1900
closed=
toll=
map_cue=
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coordinates= coord|44|55|53|N|93|18|31|W|region:US_type:landmark
lat=
long=The Interlachen Bridge is a reinforced concrete arch bridge on William Berry Parkway between Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bridge crosses the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line, a heritage streetcar line operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum which follows the same right-of-way as the original Twin Cities Rapid Transit line of the same name. The bridge was designed by local builder William S. Hewett. The bridge is one of the most significant bridges in Minnesota because it is the earliest known extant concrete bridge with a documented construction date.cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/bridges/nrheilb/sign.html|title=Interlachen Bridge - Historic Significance|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|date=1996|accessdate=2008-03-12] The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 06, 1989, as part of the Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota Multiple Property Submission.cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

William S. Hewett was a major bridge contractor in the Minneapolis area from the 1890s until well into the 20th century. His firm designed and built a number of bridges for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company when it was electrifying and expanding its system around the turn of the 20th century. The Interlachen Bridge was based on the Melan reinforcing system, invented by Viennese engineer Josef Melan and patented in the United States in 1894. Hewett probably became familiar with the Melan system when working with his uncle's construction firm in northwest Iowa. Hewett's firm also designed Bridges No. L-5853 and 92247 in Como Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota. These two bridges also crossed the Twin City Rapid Transit line.

Hewett performed other pioneering work with reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete. In 1907, he formed the Security Bridge Company, and he established Hewett Systems in 1913.

Other bridges built by Hewett include:
* Bridge No. 1482, Luverne, Minnesota (1908)
* Colton's Crossing Bridge, Lisbon, North Dakota (1907)
* Forsyth Bridge, Forsyth, Montana (1905)
* Joliet Bridge, Joliet, Montana (1901)
* Melan Bridge, Rock Ridge, Iowa (1893)
* Old Yankton Bridge, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1895)
* South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 25-380-142, Zell, South Dakota (1902)
* Walnut Street Bridge, Mazeppa, Minnesota (1904)

References