Mendota Road Bridge

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**Mendota Road Bridge**
The Mendota Road Bridge as viewed from the Mississippi River side.
Carries	Two lanes of Water Street
Crosses	The outlet of Pickerel Lake
Locale	St. Paul, Minnesota
ID number	90401
Design	Arch bridge
Longest span	10 feet
Width	24 feet
AADT	500
Opening date	1894
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Mendota Road Bridge is a stone arch bridge that spans the outlet of Pickerel Lake where it meets the Mississippi River just south of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. It was built in 1894 by the city of St. Paul and was designed by the St. Paul City Engineer's Office.

The bridge is historically significant as an example of a small-scale 19th century stone arch highway bridge. The stone used in the bridge is locally-quarried gray limestone. Ornamentation on the bridge includes protruding keystones at the top of the arch, a slight peak at the top of the arch, and a string course that matches the roadway level. The bridge resembles other stone arch bridges built in Minnesota townships during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but the ornamentation sets it apart. Another facet of historical importance is the fact that the bridge has never been substantially altered during its lifetime, except for a concrete cap replacing the original coping at the top of the railings. The bridge has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places due to its historical integrity.