High Bridge (St. Paul)

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 setup over the river. The original bridge, built in 1895, was damaged by a storm in 1904. 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 at a cost of $20 million. 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 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 testimony of a survivor who leapt from the bridge.^[1]

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

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.