Jump to content

Hennepin Avenue Bridge

Edit links
Coordinates: 44°59′07″N 93°15′50″W / 44.98528°N 93.26389°W / 44.98528; -93.26389
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the original bridge opened in 1855, see Hennepin Avenue Bridge (1855). For the predecessor built in 1888 and demolished in 1988, see Hennepin Avenue Bridge (1888).

Hennepin Avenue Bridge
Hennepin Avenue Bridge in 2005.
Coordinates44°59′07″N 93°15′50″W / 44.98528°N 93.26389°W / 44.98528; -93.26389
Carries6 lanes of Hennepin Avenue (CSAH 52)
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleMinneapolis, Minnesota
Official nameFather Louis Hennepin Bridge
Maintained byHennepin County
ID number27636
Characteristics
DesignSuspension bridge
Total length316 metres (1,037 ft)
Width41 metres (135 ft)
Longest span190 metres (620 ft)
Clearance below11 metres (36 ft)
History
DesignerHNTB Corporation
Construction cost$28.6 million
Opened1990
Hennepin Avenue Bridges Archaeological Site
Underneath the bridge, with a part of the original bridge on the right beyond the railing
Part ofSt. Anthony Falls Historic District (ID71000438[1])
Designated CPMarch 11, 1971
Location
Map

The Hennepin Avenue Bridge is the structure that carries Hennepin County State Aid Highway 52, Hennepin Avenue, across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Nicollet Island. Officially, it is the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge, in honor of the 17th-century explorer Louis Hennepin, who was the first European to see the Saint Anthony Falls, a short distance downriver. It is the fourth bridge on the site, having been preceded by the first bridge to cross the Mississippi and two other overpasses.

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]

The bridge crosses from the west bank of the Mississippi River to Nicollet Island. Another smaller bridge crosses from the island to the east bank. Three previous bridges had been on the location, two of which were suspension bridges, while a third—which existed nearly a century—was composed of steel arch spans. The original crossing, which opened as a toll bridge on January 23, 1855, was the first permanent span across the Mississippi. Other bridges were completed in 1876 and 1888.[2]

While the previous century-old bridge was aging, there was opposition to the plans for the new bridge. A $28.6 million price tag ($70.3 million in 2023), about three times more than a similar close-by bridge, as well as a seen-as-unnecessary suspension design given the relatively short 625-foot length. Hennepin County defended the decisions, saying they wanted a "landmark" bridge at the site; comparisons were made to the Minneapolis suspension bridges of the past, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge. Additionally, federal funding requested by Martin Sabo had been contingent on the construction of a suspension bridge.[3]

Design

[edit]

The bridge was designed by Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergerndoff.[4] The bridge could have been shorter, but twenty feet were added to the towers to avoid a squat look.[4] The suspension design was unnecessary from an engineering perspective but hailed as being "elegant," while also having a "Mussolini kind of quality".[3] Two 150-foot-tall towers hold up the two 1,037-foot spans.[5] Stairs and a ramp on the eastern bank connect pedestrians to West River Parkway below.[6]

Construction

[edit]
The bridge showing West River Parkway underneath

Some 900 tons of steel cable, more than 5,900 feet, were ordered from Bethlehem Steel Corp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[7] Johnson Bros. Corp. of Litchfield, Minnesota did the work on the suspension cables.[4]

During construction, foundations of the 1855 bridge and 1870 bridge were uncovered and documented by the Minnesota Historical Society.[2]

On July 31, 1989, a fire underneath the bridge blamed on vagrants caused an estimated $80,000 in damage to construction equipment. The fire was underneath a yet-undemolished part of the old bridge and did not damage the new construction.[8] One lane of the new bridge was opened in August 1989.[4]

In June 1990, a month before the schedule completion of the bridge, Hennepin County spent $16,550 ($38,597 in 2023) to perform additional stress tests on the bridge, not wanting a repeat of the Golden Gate Bridge 50th anniversary celebrations where unexpectedly large crowds caused the deck of the bridge to significantly sag.[9] Officials banned traffic-closing events and large crowds from the bridge in December 1990, finding that large crowds combined with dancing could cause unacceptable levels of stress.[10]

All lanes of traffic on the bridge were opened for traffic on August 23, 1990.[11] Originally budgeted at $25 million, the bridge was completed for $28.6 million.[7][10] While locally known as the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, it is officially the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge after the explorer who was one of the first Europeans in the area, and whom Hennepin County was named after.[11]

Renovation

[edit]

In 2023, Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergerndoff (the original builders of the bridge) were selected by Hennepin County to help improve the safety and service life of the bridge, as well as modify the bridge deck to facilitate easier public transit, bicycle and pedestrian use.[12]

Archeological site

[edit]

Each of the three previous bridges had historic value to the City of Minneapolis. Excavations in 1983, 1985, and 1987, and construction work during the building of the current bridge in 1988 and 1989, found substantial portions of the first and second bridges. Foundations of the first bridge, tunnels used for the construction of both, and various anchors and other elements of each bridge were discovered. The archeological site was included as an official part of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District.[1]: 231–228  Various pilings and artifacts exist at First Bridge Park next to the bridge.[13]

[edit]

The bridge appears in the 1992 film Crossing the Bridge.[14] The bridge depicts a fictional border crossing between the United States and Canada in Detroit, Michigan. A review panned the lack of continuity between the far shots showing a real bridge near Detroit and the close-ups of the very different Hennepin Avenue Bridge.[15]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System – (#71000438)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Kaszuba, Mike (July 13, 1988). "Excavation bridges gap to the past". Star Tribune. pp. 1B, 5B. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Kaszuba, Mike (September 19, 1989). "It's a beauty of a bridge, with a beauty of a price". Star Tribune. pp. 1, 6A. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Monaghan, George (October 17, 1989). "Maestro of suspension has gotten hang of bridge just right". Star Tribune. pp. 1E, 9E. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Thiede, Dana (June 28, 2022). "KARE in the Air: Crossing the Hennepin Avenue Bridge". KARE11.
  6. ^ Mack, Linda (June 2, 1992). "Federal Reserve is a 'strange beast of a building'". Star Tribune. pp. 3E. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Plant gets largest suspension-cable contract". The Patriot News. Harrisburg, PA. July 29, 1988. p. B7. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  8. ^ "Fire under Hennepin Av. bridge". Star Tribune. August 1, 1989. p. 13. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  9. ^ "New Hennepin bridge will get stress tests". Star Tribune. June 1, 1990. p. 5. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Brandt, Steve (December 28, 1990). "Dances, big crowds banned form new Hennepin bridge". Star Tribune. pp. 1A, 12A. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Officially, it's Father Louis' bridge". Star Tribune. August 29, 1990. p. 4. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  12. ^ "HNTB selected to rehabilitate Minneapolis' iconic Hennepin Avenue Suspension Bridge". HNTB. June 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "First Bridge Park". Mississippi National River & Recreation Area. National Park Service. August 2, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  14. ^ Parlin, Geri (May 18, 1991). "Local actors find movie roles in Twin Cities". The La Crosse Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  15. ^ Strickler, Jeff (September 11, 1992). "Twist, ending make 'Bridge' worthwhile". Star Tribune. p. 54. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  • Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
  • "Father Louis Hennepin Bridge". Highways, Byways, and Bridge Photography. johnweeks.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hennepin_Avenue_Bridge&oldid=1272552875"