Broadway Bridge
Minnesota River Highway Crossing
St. Peter, MN

MN-99 Bridge

• Structure ID: NBI: 4930.
• Location: River Mile 98.0.
• River Elevation: 737 Feet.
• Highway: MN-99.
• Daily Traffic Count: 7,000 (2004).
• Bridge Type: Steel Through Truss.
• Length: 402 Feet Overall, 196 Foot Longest Span.
• Width: 30 Feet, 2 Lanes.
• Navigation Channel Width: Non-Navigable.
• Height Above Water: 24 Feet (Estimated).
• Date Built: 1931.
The Broadway Bridge carries MN-99 across the Minnesota River heading east out of the small town of St. Peter, Minnesota. This 1931 era steel truss bridge is one of the few remaining truss bridges from that era left in the state that are still carrying a major load in the form of a state highway. This bridge replaced a swing span bridge that was open to traffic from 1887 to 1929.

This bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1999. This recognizes the bridge as being historically significant and worthy of saving. Specifically, it is recognized as being significant for its engineering compared to other structures from the 1925 to 1949 era.

The bridge itself is very unusual. A crossing such as this would normally be built with two independent truss spans set end to end. But in this case, this is essentially one long continuous truss. In addition, the two humps in the truss are at different heights, and two humps do not join where the pier is located. The two sections of the truss do share the same design, with the same number of structural elements, but the longer truss section has the structural members place farther apart. The two color silver and black paint scheme serves to add to the somewhat odd appearance of the Broadway Bridge.

For being a small town, St. Peter has produced a large number of notable people including five former governors. One famous person is Ann Denver, widow of singing star John Denver. They were married in St. Peter, and the famous singing group Peter, Paul, and Mary sang at their wedding.


MN-99 Bridge
MN-99 Bridge
MN-99 Bridge
MN-99 Bridge
MN-99 Bridge

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