High Bridge (St. Paul)

Smith Avenue High Bridge
Picture of the High Bridge in early spring, 2006, with downtown St. Paul in the background.
Coordinates	44°56′00″N 93°06′16″W
Carries	Two lanes of MN 149
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	St. Paul, Minnesota
Maintained by	Minnesota Department of Transportation
ID number	62090
Characteristics
Design	Inverted arch and two half-arches for the main span; eight plate girder spans on the north side
Total length	2760 feet
Width	54 feet
Longest span	520 feet
Clearance below	149 feet
History
Opened	July 1987
Location

The High Bridge is a bridge that carries Minnesota State Highway 149 over the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota. The bridge is a two-lane street setup over the river. The original bridge, built in 1889, was damaged by a storm in 1904. The southernmost five spans were rebuilt. Due to deterioration over the years, the old bridge was demolished in 1985. A new bridge was built and opened in 1987 at a cost of $20 million. The ornamental ironwork on the new bridge was built using iron from the old bridge.

The High Bridge has a height of 160 feet, making it the highest bridge in St. Paul.

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.

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

References

• West Seventh/Fort Road Federation - picture of the demolition of the old bridge
• Smith Avenue High Bridge, St. Paul, MN
• Historic American Engineering Record: Smith Avenue High Bridge
• Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.

• 
  Smith Avenue Bridge circa 1890
• 
  Wreck of the High Bridge in the storm of 1904
• 
  Smith Avenue Bridge in 2008