High Bridge (St. Paul)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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 set-up over the river. The original bridge, built in 1895, was damaged by a storm in 1905. 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. 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 of 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 a testimony of a survivor that has leapt from the high bridge. ^[1]

[edit] See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

[edit] See also

http://articles.citypages.com/2008-02-06/feature/a-long-way-down/

[edit] References

1. ^ St. Paul's High Bridge: Suicide Hot Spot - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

• 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

Smith Avenue Bridge in 2008

Bridges of the Mississippi River Upstream Omaha Road Bridge Number 15 Smith Avenue High Bridge Downstream Wabasha Street Bridge

v • d • e U.S. National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register · History of the National Register of Historic Places · Property types · Historic district · Contributing property List of entries National Park Service · National Historic Landmarks · National Battlefields · National Historic Sites · National Historical Parks · National Memorials · National Monuments