The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Rybak approved accepting $10 million in American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funding to rehabilitate the Camden Bridge. The City sought and received Recovery dollars for the Camden Bridge because of the impact the project will have on the region by creating jobs and modernizing public infrastructure. By using Recovery funding to complete the bridge work now, the bridge can be improved before it deteriorates further - a new bridge would have cost well over $100 million.
To minimize the amount of time people in Camden will be affected by the closure, and to reduce the time traffic will be affected, the bridge will be completely closed during the work. A complete closure will allow crews to finish most of the bridge work in nine months, as opposed to the two years it would take if the bridge were intermittently opened and closed during work.
With the Lowry Bridge down, this will mean more detours in Camden. The only access to Northeast will be from the Broadway Bridge or I-694. "We know having the Camden Bridge closed will be an inconvenience for travelers in that area, but so far our residents have been wonderful in dealing with the major construction that's happened in our city the last few years, from the Crosstown to the I-35W Bridge," said City Council President Barbara Johnson, who represents the Fourth Ward. "Closing the bridge for construction provides a safer work environment and allows the bridge to be finished much faster so it will be more pedestrian and bike friendly, with better lighting."
Planning for this rehab project began in 2004 but has been on hold because funding was not available. The Recovery Act is offering Minneapolis an opportunity to rehabilitate the bridge now, before further deterioration makes a rehab much more costly.
Built in 1975, the Camden Bridge is the 42nd Avenue North/37th Avenue Northeast crossing over the Mississippi River and Interstate 94 and railroad tracks. As noted in the July Camden News, the bridge has deteriorated to the point that it is in need of repairs to maintain public safety. The current bridge has "fracture critical" pin and hanger connections which should be replaced. The traffic rails have deteriorated such that they require replacement.
The rehab will include replacement of expansion joints, full deck replacement, a new drainage system, replacement of approach panels, crash railing, sidewalks, pedestrian railings and repainting. The completed project will also save Minneapolis maintenance costs into the future. Currently, city crews spend approximately a month on deck patching and painting the bridge each year.
The Camden Bridge rehab is expected to begin in early 2010, and it's estimated that the project will create about 90 construction jobs once work begins. The work will add 35 years to the life of the bridge.