Claim to fame: bridge is unique in that it has a building built on top of it. A heated walkway and a covered bicycle path runs the length of the bridge above the traffic lanes connecting the east and west bank campuses of the University of Minnesota. The walkway is not heated to room temperature. Rather, heaters are placed at several locations. On bitter cold and windy days, the walkway temperature can dip below freezing. The walkway is only a few steps away from campus buildings on either end. As a result, driving this bridge is much like driving in a tunnel.

This bridge connects the heart of the University of Minnesota East Bank Campus to the freeway system. While the roadway is widely known as Southeast Washington Ave, it also carries the designation of Minnesota Highway MN-122. MN-122 is a short section of freeway that runs between the Metrodome and the Mississippi River. It has a partial interchange with I-35W and a diamond interchange with Cedar Avenue South.

For many years, the bridge was painted flat gray. Once the new Weisman Art Museum opened up, locals suggested that the bridge looked dull in comparison to the shiny metallic slabs on the new art museum. Locals suggested that the bridge be dressed up. The result is the current paint job in U of M colors of Maroon and Gold.

The Frank Gehry designed Weisman Art Museum is located at the east end of the bridge. The museum can be seen in the top photo. It is the metallic looking building on the far side of the river.

The Washington Avenue bridge was in the news again in 2008. The next phase of the light rail system is planned to run between the two downtown city centers along University Avenue. The light rail will exit downtown Minneapolis through the U of M west bank buildings, cross the river using the Washington Avenue bridge, and continue down the center of Washington Ave to reach University Avenue. A consulting company was hired to determine how to retrofit light rail onto the Washington Ave bridge. As part of that project, the consulting company found that the upper deck supports are not strong enough to meet current standards. In fact, they may not be safe as the bridge is currently configured. Until a solution is found for the problem, both bicycle and pedestrian traffic is confined to a single seven foot wide path down the middle of the upper deck of the bridge.