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Coordinates: 44°55′59″N 93°06′16″W / 44.93306°N 93.10444°W / 44.93306; -93.10444
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{{Short description|Bridge in St. Paul, Minnesota}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox Bridge
{{Infobox Bridge
|bridge_name = Smith Avenue High Bridge
|bridge_name = Smith Avenue High Bridge
|image = StPaulHighBridge.jpg
|image = High Bridge and downtown St Paul.jpg
|image_size=300px
|image_size = 300px
|caption = The High Bridge in early spring 2006, with downtown St. Paul in the background
|caption = The High Bridge with downtown Saint Paul in the background
|official_name =
|official_name =
|crosses = [[Mississippi River]]
|crosses = [[Mississippi River]]
|carries = Two lanes of {{jct|state=MN|MN|149}}
|carries = Two lanes of {{jct|state=MN|MN|149}}
|locale = [[St. Paul, Minnesota]]
|locale = [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
|design = Inverted [[Arch bridge|arch]] and two half-arches for the main span; eight [[plate girder bridge|plate girder]] spans on the north side
|design = Inverted [[Arch bridge|arch]] and two half-arches for the main span; eight [[plate girder bridge|plate girder]] spans on the north side
|mainspan = {{convert|520|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|mainspan = {{convert|520|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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|maint = [[Minnesota Department of Transportation]]
|maint = [[Minnesota Department of Transportation]]
|id = 62090
|id = 62090
|coordinates = {{coord|44|56|00|N|93|06|16|W|region:US-MN_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|coordinates = {{coord|44|55|59|N|93|06|16|W|region:US-MN_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
}}
}}
The '''High Bridge''' is a bridge that carries [[Minnesota State Highway 149]] over the [[Mississippi River]] in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]], United States. It was built and opened in 1987 at a cost of $20 million. The bridge carries two lanes of street traffic over the river and is the highest bridge in St. Paul with a deck height of {{convert|160|ft|m|abbr=on}} and a clearance below of {{convert|149|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Weeks III |first=John A. |title=Smith Avenue High Bridge |url=http://www.johnweeks.com/bridges/pages/ms07.html |year=2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529032721/http://www.johnweeks.com/bridges/pages/ms07.html |archivedate=May 29, 2016 |deadurl=no |accessdate=November 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Costello |first=Mary Charlotte |year=2002 |title=Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota |publisher=Adventure Publications |location=Cambridge, Minn. |isbn=0-9644518-2-4}}</ref>
The '''Smith Avenue High Bridge''' or the '''High Bridge''' is an inverted [[arch bridge]] that carries [[Minnesota State Highway 149]] and Smith Avenue over the [[Mississippi River]] in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], United States. It was built and opened in 1987 at a cost of $20 million. The bridge carries two lanes of street traffic over the river and is the highest bridge in St. Paul, with a deck height of {{convert|160|ft|m|abbr=on}} and a clearance below of {{convert|149|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weeks III |first=John A. |title=Smith Avenue High Bridge |url=http://www.johnweeks.com/bridges/pages/ms07.html |date=2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529032721/http://www.johnweeks.com/bridges/pages/ms07.html |archive-date=May 29, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=November 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Costello |first=Mary Charlotte |year=2002 |title=Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota |publisher=Adventure Publications |location=Cambridge, Minn. |isbn=0-9644518-2-4}}</ref>


The current bridge replaced a {{convert|2770|ft|m|adj=on}} iron [[truss bridge#Warren truss|Warren]] deck truss bridge constructed in 1889. In 1904 the original bridge was partially destroyed by a tornado or severe storm and the southernmost five spans had to be rebuilt. With modest alterations it served for nearly a century, but in 1977 an inspection found irreparable structural deficiencies. The [[Minnesota Department of Transportation]] enacted a weight restriction on the bridge until it was closed in 1984 and demolished the following year. The ornamental ironwork on the replacement was built using iron from the old bridge.<ref name=El-Hai>{{cite book |last=El-Hai |first=Jack |title=Lost Minnesota: Stories of Vanished Places |location=Minneapolis |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=2000 |isbn=0816635153}}</ref> The first bridge had been listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1981 and was delisted in 1988.
The current bridge replaced a {{convert|2770|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} iron [[truss bridge#Warren truss|Warren]] deck truss bridge constructed in 1889. In 1904 the original bridge was partially destroyed by a tornado or severe storm and the southernmost five spans had to be rebuilt. With modest alterations it served for nearly a century, but in 1977 an inspection found irreparable structural deficiencies. The [[Minnesota Department of Transportation]] enacted a weight restriction on the bridge until it was closed in 1984 and demolished in 1985. The ornamental ironwork on the replacement was built using iron from the old bridge.<ref name=El-Hai>{{Cite book |last=El-Hai |first=Jack |title=Lost Minnesota: Stories of Vanished Places |location=Minneapolis |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=2000 |isbn=0816635153}}</ref> The first bridge had been listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1981 and was delisted in 1988.


In February 2008, ''[[City Pages]]'', a weekly publication in the Twin Cities, published a feature about the long history of suicide at the bridge. The article included testimony of a survivor who leapt from the bridge.<ref>[http://www.citypages.com/2008-02-06/feature/a-long-way-down/ St. Paul's High Bridge: Suicide Hot Spot - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul)<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806013027/http://www.citypages.com/2008-02-06/feature/a-long-way-down/ |date=2013-08-06 }}</ref>
In February 2008, ''[[City Pages]]'', a weekly publication in the Twin Cities, published a feature about the long history of suicide at the bridge. The article included testimony of a survivor who leapt from the bridge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Paul's High Bridge: Suicide Hot Spot - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul) |url=http://www.citypages.com/2008-02-06/feature/a-long-way-down/ |access-date=2013-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806013027/http://www.citypages.com/2008-02-06/feature/a-long-way-down/ |archive-date=2013-08-06 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The bridge closed September 2017 for a redecking project.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy149highbridge/ |title=MNDOT: Hwy 149 High Bridge}}</ref> It reopened to traffic the afternoon of November 21, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-s-high-bridge-to-reopen-this-afternoon-mndot-says/501024322/ |title=Star Tribune: St. Paul's High Bridge reopens after being closed 15 months}}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
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==See also==
==See also==
* [[List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River]]
*[[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota]]
*[[List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Smith Avenue High Bridge (1987)}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Smith Avenue High Bridge (1987)}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Smith Avenue High Bridge (1889)}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Smith Avenue High Bridge (1889)}}
*{{HAER |survey=MN-5 |id=mn0076 |title=Smith Avenue High Bridge, Smith Avenue between Cherokee Avenue & Cliff Street, Saint Paul, Ramsey County, MN |photos=79 |data=45 |cap=5}} of the previous bridge
* [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.mn0076 Historic American Engineering Record: Smith Avenue High Bridge]


{{Crossings navbox
{{Crossings navbox
|structure = Crossings
|structure = Crossings
|place = [[Mississippi River]]
|place = [[Mississippi River]]
|bridge = Smith Avenue High Bridge
|bridge = Smith Avenue High Bridge
|bridge signs = [[Image:MN-149.svg|20px]]
|bridge signs = [[Image:MN-149.svg|20px]]
|upstream = [[Omaha Road Bridge Number 15]]
|upstream = [[Omaha Road Bridge Number 15]]
|upstream signs =
|upstream signs =
|downstream = [[Wabasha Street Bridge]]
|downstream = [[Wabasha Street Bridge]]
|downstream signs =
|downstream signs =
}}
}}


{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota}}


[[Category:1987 establishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in Minnesota]]
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[[Category:Bridges completed in 1987]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1987]]
[[Category:Bridges in Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Bridges in Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:Deck arch bridges]]
[[Category:Former National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Former National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Plate girder bridges]]
[[Category:Plate girder bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Road bridges in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota]]

Latest revision as of 00:22, 7 August 2023

Smith Avenue High Bridge
The High Bridge with downtown Saint Paul in the background
Coordinates44°55′59″N 93°06′16″W / 44.93306°N 93.10444°W / 44.93306; -93.10444
CarriesTwo lanes of MN 149
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleSaint Paul, Minnesota
Maintained byMinnesota Department of Transportation
ID number62090
Characteristics
DesignInverted arch and two half-arches for the main span; eight plate girder spans on the north side
Total length2,770 ft (840 m)
Width54 ft (16 m)
Height160 ft (49 m) (deck)
Longest span520 ft (160 m)
Clearance below149 ft (45 m)
History
OpenedJuly 1987
Location
Map

The Smith Avenue High Bridge or the High Bridge is an inverted arch bridge that carries Minnesota State Highway 149 and Smith Avenue over the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was built and opened in 1987 at a cost of $20 million. The bridge carries two lanes of street traffic over the river and is the highest bridge in St. Paul, with a deck height of 160 ft (49 m) and a clearance below of 149 ft (45 m).[1][2]

The current bridge replaced a 2,770-foot-long (840 m) iron Warren deck truss bridge constructed in 1889. In 1904 the original bridge was partially destroyed by a tornado or severe storm and the southernmost five spans had to be rebuilt. With modest alterations it served for nearly a century, but in 1977 an inspection found irreparable structural deficiencies. The Minnesota Department of Transportation enacted a weight restriction on the bridge until it was closed in 1984 and demolished in 1985. The ornamental ironwork on the replacement was built using iron from the old bridge.[3] The first bridge had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and was delisted in 1988.

In February 2008, City Pages, a weekly publication in the Twin Cities, published a feature about the long history of suicide at the bridge. The article included testimony of a survivor who leapt from the bridge.[4]

The bridge closed September 2017 for a redecking project.[5] It reopened to traffic the afternoon of November 21, 2018.[6]

[edit]
  • Original High Bridge circa 1900
    Original High Bridge circa 1900
  • Wreck of the High Bridge in the storm of 1904
    Wreck of the High Bridge in the storm of 1904
  • Current High Bridge from the northwest
    Current High Bridge from the northwest

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Weeks III, John A. (2014). "Smith Avenue High Bridge". Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  2. ^ Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, Minn.: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
  3. ^ El-Hai, Jack (2000). Lost Minnesota: Stories of Vanished Places. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816635153.
  4. ^ "St. Paul's High Bridge: Suicide Hot Spot - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul)". Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  5. ^ "MNDOT: Hwy 149 High Bridge".
  6. ^ "Star Tribune: St. Paul's High Bridge reopens after being closed 15 months".
[edit]
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