September 3 Bridge 9 Improvements Project Update

Bridge No. 9 was constructed in 1922 by the Northern Pacific Railroad to carry freight over the Mississippi. The City of Minneapolis acquired this bridge in 1986 and converted the bridge to a pedestrian use bridge in 1999. The bridge currently provides a Mississippi River crossing for the Dinkytown Greenway bike trail.

Beginning in April, 2025, the City of Minneapolis started making repairs and improvements to Bridge 9, Abutment 1 and the approach spans on both ends of the bridge

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2025 Construction Phase

Public Works has been working on this bridge in phases over the past few years, starting with the substructure work (piers and abutments).

In 2025, the scope of work will focus on the superstructure, which includes removing and replacing the approach span decks, replacing the existing railing with a high-safety railing and rehabilitating the east side abutment.

Rehabilitation work on the abutment consists of the removal of degraded concrete, then repairing and strengthening the concrete to remain with new reinforced concrete. The work on the approach spans consists of the removal of the old ballast slab, aggregate and bituminous pavement, then constructing a new reinforced concrete deck.

Forms for north approach span nearing completion

Encasement at abutment 1 between pours

Southern approach span before forms are installed

Schedule

Construction activities this season started on April 7th of 2025. The scheduled completion date is the end of December 2025. The contractor is currently anticipating substantial completion by mid December 2025.

Traffic Impact

The bridge is closed to bicyclists and pedestrians this season. The Detour route is below, and it is also posted to the project webpage.

Current Work

For the month of August, the following construction operations were performed: Abutment 1 encasement, assembling reinforcement cages for abutment 1 reconstruction, completing the formwork on the north approach spans, steel preparation and repairs on the southern approach spans, and beginning to set formwork on the southern approach span.

Concrete pour at Abutment 1

Coming Up

Abutment 1 reconstruction, installing shear studs on the southern approach spans, setting forms on the southern approach spans, and pouring the deck on the northern approach spans.

Stay Connected

For more details and to sign up for email updates please visit the project page. 

For concerns or questions about the Bridge 9 project please contact:

Contact the project engineer: Oscar Weber,
651-470-4790 or Oscar.Weber@minneapolismn.gov 

Contact the engineer: Petru Vizoli,
612-201-1905, or Petru.Vizoli@minneapolismn.gov.

Contact the design team project manager: Rich Revering,
612-718-8412 or Richard.Revering@Bolton-Menk.com