Beltrami Co Highway 11
Mississippi River Highway Crossing
Bemidji, MN

Beltrami Co Highway 11

• Structure ID: NBI 04521
• Location: River Mile 1288.2
• River Elevation: 1,342 Feet
• County: Beltrami
• Highway: Beltrami County Highway 11, Jefferson Avenue SW
• Daily Traffic Count: 2,500 (2003)
• Bridge Type: Prestressed Concrete Girder
• Bridge Length: 115 Feet
• Bridge Width: 44 Feet, 2 Lanes
• Height Above Water: 9 Feet (Estimated)
• Date Built: 2001
Bridge is located in the Bemidji area just outside of the city limits. Like the bridge just up river, this is a single span bridge that crosses the mighty river in a single bound. Unlike the bridge just up river, this bridge is dressed up a little with horizontal lines on the outside of the bridge railings and vertical lines on the abutments. Like many of the headwaters area bridges, this one features a solar powered river monitor placed by the State of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, who is watching the river for oxygen levels and heavy metals such as mercury.

According to the Mary Costello book (Climbing The Mississippi River Bridge By Bridge, Volume 2), the original bridge at this location was the 1926 Ritchie Highway Bridge, which was replaced by a pre-fabricated 1956 precast prestressed concrete bridge. The 1956 bridge was nearly a carbon copy of the Beltrami County Highway 5 bridge over the Mississippi River.


Beltrami Co Highway 11
Beltrami Co Highway 11
Beltrami Co Highway 11

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Photo and text by John A. Weeks III, Copyright © 2006, all rights reserved.
For further information, contact: john@johnweeks.com