Structures
Rehabilitation Extends Life, Restores Historical Aspects of Minneapolis’ Third Avenue Bridge
© Joe Szurszewski, Courtesy of HNTB
By Suze Parker
Since the days when flour mills lined both sides of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Third Avenue Bridge has been a central connector in the area. It originally carried freight; today, it links retail and residential neighborhoods, carrying TH 65 across the river in the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. The span, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, is a classic example of a cast-in-place concrete arch-type bridge. When it opened in 1918, it ushered in a new chapter of the city’s growth. More recently, a Minnesota Department of Transportation assessment of the state’s historic bridges resulted in the Third Avenue Bridge being included among 24 bridges selected for long-term preservation under MnDOT’s Statewide Historic Bridge Management Plan. The Third Avenue Bridge was selected for its four character-defining features:
• Cast-in-place Melan Arch System construction, which encases steel trusses in concrete; • Classic Revival aesthetic treatment on piers, the projecting pedestrian bays and ornamental railing added in 1939; • Reverse S-curve alignment. Created to follow the shortest path over a break in the limestone that supports the bridge footings, the unusual horizontal alignment came to define the bridge as a gateway to downtown Minneapolis; and • St. Anthony Falls setting. The bridge is a contributing property to the St. Anthony Falls Historic District’s National Register of Historic Places designation.
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csengineermag.com
December 2023
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