Franklin Avenue Bridge Construction Update
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 11:44AM
Via an April 26 Hennepin County e-newsletter:
Closure starts 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 8
At 8 p.m. on May 8, the Franklin Avenue Bridge (County Road 5) in Minneapolis will completely close to all traffic (motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians). The bridge is expected to reopen Labor Day weekend.
This closure is needed to allow for removal of the existing bridge deck and to place new deck panels. More than 360 deck panels were constructed last year and are ready for placement. These panels will be floated down the river and hoisted up to the bridge deck.
Getting around the area
Motorists will be directed to a route that uses I-94 to cross the river.
Pedestrians and bicyclists have two options: south to Lake Street/Marshall Avenue or north to Washington Avenue.
Please note, the West River Parkway detour due to the mudslide near the University of Minnesota is still in effect.
Boater and recreational users of the Mississippi River should be mindful that there will be barges and cranes in the river and a heavy amount of construction traffic in the river.
Full detour information can be found on the project website.
More about the project
The new bridge is being constructed using the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method to reduce the duration of traffic closure. As part of this, crews expect to work extended hours at times.
Prior to now, the majority of the work around the bridge has been under the deck. Crews have been repairing and restoring piers and arches, as well as relocating utilities that run under the deck. Remaining bridge restoration activities, along with final tasks and clean-up, will be performed during fall 2016 and spring 2017.
The new restored bridge features will replicate the historical design of the original 1923 bridge and will incorporate safe, modern, multimodal features such as separated on-road bike lanes, walkways, overlook nooks and architectural lighting.
There will be more about the project in future updates, as we provide details about the process to remove and replace the bridge deck.
For more information:
Project phone: 888-474-8929
Email: franklinbridge@hennepin.us
Website: www.hennepin.us/franklinbridge
See active projects on our interactive road construction map.
