Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge Repairs Update
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 12:03PM
Originally built as a railroad bridge in 1890, the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge was acquired by the MPRB in the 1970s and installed in its current location in the early 1980s.
Project is being revised to reflect Heritage Preservation Commission findings
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is revising the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge Repairs project after the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) denied an MPRB application for a certificate of appropriateness to allow rehabilitation and alterations to the bridge.
The original MPRB plan called for the removal of deteriorated steel stringers and timber ties rarely viewed by the general bridge user to save on capital and ongoing maintenance expenditures. The HPC found that the removal of the stringers and ties would significantly degrade the bridge’s historic integrity and denied the application.
The MPRB is in the process of revising the project scope to meet the HPC’s findings as well as the available project budget. At this point there is no timeline for construction.
In late 2013, the bridge was closed to emergency and maintenance vehicles after an inspection discovered significant deterioration. Emergency repairs were completed in July 2015 to replace the bearings on the north abutment and modify the ends of the stringers. The bridge was then reopened to emergency and maintenance vehicle traffic.
