Stone Arch Bridge – Minneapolis
Completed in 1883 for James J. Hill’s Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway, this landmark bridge connected Hill’s system to the Minneapolis’s Union Depot. Chief engineer Charles Smith designed the $650,000, limestone and Saint Cloud structure, scrapping an earlier plan that would have created a shorter and cheaper structure directly above Saint Anthony Falls. During the construction of the Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock in 1963, the Stone Arch Bridge was modified to replace two arches with a 200-foot long truss spanning the navigation channel. The bridge’s railroad use ceased in 1965. In 1994 a partnership of public agencies raised $2.8 million to restore the bridge and prepare it for recreational use as a pedestrian walkway and biking path. In 2005 lighting designed by Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd., was added to enhance the evening appearance of this landmark. The bridge is one of three National Historic Engineering Landmarks in Minnesota, signifying its noteworthy physical structure and important role in the growth of Minneapolis.
