Minneapolis’ new icon, Lowry Avenue Bridge construction is underway — it may get noisy
04/01/2010
The Lowry Avenue Bridge, is under construction. Folks learned more about the construction schedule at an open house on March 23. Hennepin County Transportation Department and Lunda Construction Inc. staff updated residents about the project.
The bridge had been a landmark in the community since 1905, until it was closed due to structural and safety issues in 2008, and was imploded last summer. Right now crews are driving 100 river pilings in the water. Residents can expect loud pounding noises during the day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the spring. It may get noisy! The SuperAmerica building on the Northeast side is down. A chain link safety fence will be installed soon to keep people out of the work zone.
Residents can look forward to a new Lowry Avenue Bridge with: A basket-handle steel arch design that spans more than 400 feet across the navigational channel of the Mississippi River; expanded sidewalks with unobstructed views of the Mississippi River; a high efficiency LED lighting system for the steel arch that is color adjustable; an anti-icing system that senses the conditions for icing and automatically disperses a measured amount of anti-icing material across the surface (this system can also be remotely controlled from the county's Public Works Facility or even a snowplow); and a new underground stormwater treatment facility called a DC sand filter that serves more than 80 acres of the surrounding community. Find more info at lowryavenuebridge.com.
And remember that the Camden Bridge will close on April 12 and will remain closed for about six months. The City recommends that to reach Northeast Minneapolis you should take the Plymouth Avenue Bridge or I-94.