Claim to fame: when finished, this will be the widest bridge in the state of Minnesota. Or maybe not. Since the I-35W bridge disaster in August, 2007, the proposed replacement I-35W would be about 10 feet wider than the proposed completed Wakota Bridge.

The old Wakota Bridge was been a southeast metro area landmark since it was built. While the bridge was still sound, it was simply overwhelmed by traffic, with significant backups many hours each day. The new bridge combined with the US-61 freeway upgrade will dramatically improve quality of life for anyone who has to commute through that area. The new bridge will also include a bicycle path. This will improve the bicycle trail connections in the east metro area given that there are no other bicycle river crossings in that area.

The plan was to build the west bound span just north of the old bridge. All I-494 traffic would be moved to the new span, and then the old span would be imploded. Due to the large volume of barge traffic, the old bridge would have to be removed during the winter off season for navigation. Once the old bridge was gone, the east bound span of the new bridge would be built.

The west bound span was built like a huge teeter-totter. Several piers were erected, and the bridge structure was built both directions from each pier. Construction crews had to be careful to build the same amount on both sides of a pier to keep the structure in balance. Once the bridge sections made connection with each other, the delicately balanced sections would join to create a very strong bridge. The west end was especially tricky to built. First, there are two interchanges very close to the bridge that had to remain open. Next, the I-494 highway was in the way and had to be moved south a dozen feet. And then there is an active railroad and a street that intersect directly under the bridge, both of which had to remain open. That section of the bridge was supported with steel falsework.

The bridge project was cruising right along, until MN-DOT noticed that the new bridge was starting to crack. In fact, it was in danger of collapsing under its own weight. It turns out that the bridge designer made a key mistake and underestimated the amount of steel rebar that needed to be installed in the bridge. This caused the edges of the bridge to droop a bit, and the extra stress was cracking the concrete. Construction was shifted into low gear until a solution was found. That solution was two fold. First, the design was modified so all remaining construction had enough rebar. Second, the already built section was retrofit with a number of steel cables under high tension. The cables pulled the sides of the bridges together. The weight of the sides pulled the cable tight, which caused the cable to push down on the stronger center back bone of the span. This transferred the weight off of the sides, stopped them from drooping, and reduced the stress on the concrete. Engineers say it will not impact the life of the bridge, but only time will tell for sure.

The net result of the project is that the new bridge was not ready for the winter of 2005/2006, so the old bridge could not be removed until the winter of 2006/2007. That pushed the completion of the second span back to the fall of 2008.

Note—yet another problem with the Wakota Bridge project. MN-DOT and Lunda Construction were unable to agree on a price for building the eastbound span over the Mississippi River. As a result, MN-DOT canceled the contract with Lunda, and has decided to rebid the bridge. Lunda will complete its current work and remove the old bridge. It may take as long as a year to rebid the bridge, pushing the completion out to 2009 or 2010.

Note—yet more problems. First, it appears that Lunda was correct in their estimate of $60-million to build the second span, and that Lunda will receive about $10-million in a breach of contract settlement. MN-DOT has about $40-million left to finish the project, which puts the second span in danger of being delayed years to find the additional funding. Second, MN-DOT is concerned about a cash flow problem related to the new I-35W bridge. The money is needed early in the project to pay the contractors as they go, but the federal money is not available until later in the project when the bridge is substantially complete. One solution is to raid the Wakota Bridge money to keep I-35W moving, and delay the Wakota Bridge until the funding can be replaced. As a result, one wonders if the second span will ever be built.

As of January 2008, MN-DOT has requested and opened bids for the second span. The low bidder is, not surprisingly, Lunda Construction of Black River Falls, WI. Their $60-million bid is within a few hundred thousand dollars of their earlier bid that resulted in them being fired from the project. Construction on the second span has started as of March, 2008.

The photo at the top of the page is an overview of the Wakota Bridge project looking west. The westbound span of the new bridge is only days away from opening. The blue metal arch is the old Wakota Bridge, which is just south of the new span, and sits where the new eastbound bridge will be located.

The photo below is a view of the main channel span of the new westbound span after the old bridge has been totally removed.

The photo above is a profile view of the new westbound span. The bridge has three main piers, two of which are located in the river, and one is located on the edge of the river. The photo below is a view of the construction project in 2005 about a year before the completion of the westbound span. The old bridge, just to the left of the new bridge, is still in use.

These two photos show work being done at the north end of the new westbound span. If you look closely, you can see that the various spans are not completed yet. There are gaps between the bridge spans. This is due to the method of casting the bridge spans in place, and moving the forms outward a section at a time. Engineers have to be careful to keep both sides of a span in balance over the supporting pier.

When first opened, the new westbound span was used for an entrance ramp to the I-494 freeway. These two photos show a typical bridge crossing. The photo below is an example of the concrete cracking that nearly derailed the project. The cracks have been filled with industrial epoxy. That seals the concrete, but is not a structural fix.

The photo above is the third of three views crossing the new westbound span when it was open to a single lane of traffic. The photo below is a view of the north end after much of the supporting steel and the large construction crane were removed.

The photo above is another view of the project from 2005. This view shows the two bridges and highway I-494. MN-DOT amazingly was able to keep 4 lanes of traffic moving during the entire project. The view below is an overview of work on the eastbound bridge span.

These two photos are close views of work on the new eastbound span. The photo above shows the easternmost pier, which is nearly completed. The photo below shows work just beginning on the westernmost pier.