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Published March 03, 2009, 01:05 PM

MnDOT unveils new bridge options

The Minnesota Department of Transportation unveiled pictures of the three bridge-types still being considered for the Hastings bridge replacement at an open house Tuesday.

By: Keith Grauman, The Hastings Star-Gazette

The Minnesota Department of Transportation unveiled pictures of the three bridge-types still being considered for the Hastings bridge replacement at an open house Tuesday.

Here’s the specifics on how much the different bridges are estimated to cost and how long they will take to build.

Twin-span box girder bridge

  • $225-$240 million (in 2010 dollars)

  • 3.5-4 year construction

  • Similar to Wakota Bridge in Newport

  • The two-lane southbound span would be built first, immediately to the west of current bridge. Once it’s complete, both northbound and southbound traffic would be shifted onto new span from the current bridge. Then the current bridge would be torn down and the new, two-lane northbound span would be built in its place.

    Single-span cable bridge

  • $240-$265 million (in 2010 dollars)

  • 3-3.5 year construction

  • No other cable-supported bridges exist in Minnesota (one is proposed to be built as the new Highway 36 crossing over the St. Croix River)

  • The single-span cable bridge would be built immediately to the west of the current bridge, where traffic would remain until construction is complete, at which point, the current bridge would be torn down.

    Single-span arch bridge

  • $230-$255 million (in 2010 dollars)

  • 3-3.5 year construction

  • Similar to the Cedar Avenue Bridge, which carries traffic on Highway 77 over the Minnesota River

  • The single-span arch bridge would be built immediately to the west of the current bridge, where traffic would remain until construction is complete, at which point, the current bridge would be torn down.

    Resident reacted to bridge options at Tuesday open house

    Remember these words: arch, cable and girder. You’re likely to hear a lot about them in the coming months.

    Residents got their first look at the three bridge types still being considered for the Mississippi River crossing in Hastings at a Minnesota Department of Transportation open house Tuesday night.

    Hastings City Hall was packed full of people eager to see the options still on the table and give their opinions on which bridge they think is the best for Hastings.

    One of those people was Jim Stoker, a retired civil engineer who lives north of the bridge. Stoker thought the twin-span girder option was the best one for Hastings. He liked the fact the girder bridge would be two separate structures, in case there are ever any problems on one, or an accident occurs on one of the spans, traffic could be shifted onto the other.

    With it constructed of concrete, Stoker said it would require the least amount of maintenance in the long run, whereas an arch bridge would have to be repainted, and the cables on a cable bridge would have to be kept in good shape.

    Loren (last name) said he originally thought Hastings needed an arch bridge to stay with the tradition of unique bridges the city has had, but after seeing the renderings of the girder bridge, he liked the clean look it had. Another woman described the girder bridge as “pretty.”

    Hastings resident Mark Kolodzeij had his two sons with him at the open house. He liked the cable bridge the best because he said it has a more modern feel to it, but he worried the majority of people in Hastings would shy away from the cable bridge because it’s such a stark change from what the city has had in the past.

    At first look, Jeannie Loritz was one of those people. She said the cable bridge makes her think of big cities, which Hastings is not. She originally thought the arch would better represent Hastings’ small town feel.

    By the end of the open house, however, Loritz had changed her mind and threw her support behind the girder bridge because of its clean and sleek look, she said.

    Some were not deterred by the modern look of the cable bridge and cited it as the reason they like it, people like Harold Zimmerman, who said he’s driven over cable bridges before and likes the look of them.

    MnDOT plans to have the new bridge under a design-build contract by June of 2010.

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