This bridge once carried US-169 across the Minnesota River. In 1993, a new prestressed concrete girder bridge was built just downstream. US-169 was moved to this new bridge. Later, a bypass was built around Shakopee, along with the new Bloomington Ferry Bridge, and US-169 was moved to this new freeway. The old bridge at Shakopee was set aside to be used as a regional trail bridge.

Local officials have long known that this bridge would eventually require some level of repairs and refurbishment. That cost is well above what is normally budgeted for upkeep of a regional trail. The urgency of these repairs came to light after the I-35W bridge disaster. Like the I-35W bridge, this is a steel deck truss bridge, complete with lots of rust, areas that are hard to inspect, and gusset plate issues. A deck truss bridge has a metal latticework of beams under the highway roadway. There are very few bridges like this remaining in the state of Minnesota, so it would be a historical disaster to lose it. Other deck truss bridges include the WI-243/MN-243 bridge at Osceola and the MN-123 bridge at Sandstone.

Update—this old bridge is finally getting its long awaited rehabilitation. The bridge was closed in February, 2010, for repairs and historic preservation. The work will also include installing ADA-compliant concrete ramps that will allow wheelchair access. The bridge is expected to reopen on September 17, 2010. This project is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Update—in reading the documents on the rehabilitation project, I have learned that this bridge has an official name. The only name that I have heard used for this bridge in the past is the Old Shakopee Bridge. The official name is the Holmes Street Pedestrian Bridge.

The photo above is a view of the downriver side of the northernmost of the two main river spans looking through the trees from the south side of the Minnesota River. The photo below is the downriver side of the bridge as seen from the water level from a vantage point located under the north end of the new highway bridge.

These two photos are views of the bridge looking through the trees along the edge of the river. The photo above is the downriver face of the bridge as seen from the south bank of the Minnesota River. The photo above is a similar view from the north side of the river.

The photo above is a view of the bridge looking towards the northwest from the stairway that leads down to the park located below the bridge. The photo above is a view looking through the truss structure under the bridge. The truss span has a main beam running down the center of the bridge as well as on the outside edges of the truss.

The photo above is the east side of the truss structure, which is the downriver side of the bridge. The photo below is the west side of the truss structure, which is the upriver side of the bridge. Both views are looking to the north from the south side of the Minnesota River.

These two photos are looking north down the length of the bridge deck. The photo above is from the sidewalk at the southeast corner of the bridge. The sidewalk is separated from the former traffic lanes by a concrete barrier. The photo below is from the center of the bridge deck. Remnants of the double yellow line between the former traffic lanes can still be seen.

The photo above is the south bridge abutment. The structure crosses over Levee Drive before crossing the main channel of the Minnesota River. The steps leading to the bridge deck were built when the park below the bridge was improved following the construction of the new bridge. The photo below is the bridge plate located on the inside of the concrete railing at the southeast corner of the structure.

These two photos are a bit older, and were taken in early spring before the trees and grass greened up. The photo above is looking north along the length of the bridge deck. The photo below is looking northeast from just upstream on the south side of the main river channel. Note that the indented arch feature of the piers has been carried over to the piers on the new bridge.

These two photos, and the next six that follow, are views of the Holmes Street Pedestrian Bridge during its rebuild and during the flood of 2010. The photo above is the south bridge approach. The photo below is looking north down the length of the bridge deck.

The photo above shows the tangle of rebar left where the bridge deck and railings are being removed from the structure on the upriver west side of the structure. The photo below is a view looking north along the downriver east side of the bridge.

These two photos are views looking west from the deck of the highway 101 Shakopee Bridge, a vantage point that is available only because the highway bridge is closed due to flooding. The photo above is the two concrete girder spans at the south end of the bridge. The photo below are the two concrete girder spans at the north end of the bridge. A road passes under the left span, but is under water due to the flood.

These two photos are views of the truss spans looking west from the deck of the highway 101 Shakopee Bridge. The photo above is the river channel spans, while the photo below is a closer view of one of those spans. The water has dropped a few feet from the crest. It has been right to the top of the concrete piers.