Skibo Lookout Road Bridge
CSAH-110 St. Louis River Highway Crossing
Hoyt Lakes, MN

Skibo Lookout Road Bridge

• Structure ID: NBI: 69586
• Location: River Mile 179.5
• River Elevation: 1,514 Feet
• Highways: St. Louis CSAH-110, Superior NF-128
• Daily Traffic Count: 215 (2003)
• Bridge Type: Prestressed Concrete Girder, Asphalt Deck
• Bridge Length: 77 Feet, 77 Foot Longest Span
• Bridge Width: 39 Feet, 2 Lanes
• Navigation Channel Width: Non-Navigable
• Height Above Water: 12 Feet
• Date Built: 1990
County 110 appears to exist for no apparent reason. It really doesn't go anywhere, nor does it connect anything. The fact that only about 200 vehicles a day reinforces that opinion. The road is actually in very nice condition, and appears to be well maintained. That again is a bit unexpected given that this road was upgrade from a national forest road that was cut out of the wilderness during the logging era a hundred years ago. The only real reason I can find to explain this road is that it is a short-cut between Two Harbors and Silver Bay, major taconite shipping areas, and the mines of the eastern Iron Range.

The bridge is a generic precast concrete girder bridge, typical of what MN-DOT would build when an economical and maintenance free bridge is needed. What is a bit uncommon is that the bridge is a single span. It does not have any support piers, and is supported only at the ends by the abutments. While the bridge has no decorative features, it does have the modern style of guardrail.

The driving surface on the bridge is asphalt. That again is a bit unusual. The bridge deck most likely is concrete. At some point since the bridge was built, the highway was repaved. Rather than cutting out the pavement near the bridge and matching the blacktop to the bridge deck, the paving crew simply paved right over the bridge. There is no harm in doing this, but it is a waste of material, and it adds unplanned weight to the bridge.


Skibo Lookout Road Bridge
Skibo Lookout Road Bridge
Skibo Lookout Road Bridge
Skibo Lookout Road Bridge

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