Stillwater Lift Bridge Will Close for Four Months Starting in September

With an approval to exempt a , one thing is certain: the Historic Stillwater Lift Bridge will close for about four months this fall while MnDOT crews make repairs to the 80 year-old bridge.

The closure is sure to relieve traffic congestion from downtown Stillwater, from early fall through the holiday season.

MnDOT’s Stillwater Lift Bridge Stabilization Project will start Sept. 10 and is scheduled to be , weather permitting.

The project will cost $3 million to $4 million. The closure is part of the Lift Bridge Management Plan.

The last significant closure of the Stillwater Lift Bridge was in 2005, when MnDOT made $5 million in repairs during the Stillwater Lift Bridge Rehabilitation Project.

“Over the years we have been doing bridge safety inspections annually and through that we see what the condition of the bridge is,” Paul Kivisto, the Metro Region Bridge Engineer with the Bridge Office of MnDOT said during an . “We’ve had various projects—including repairs to corroded steel and the $5 million repair project in 2005—but it continues to deteriorate, so it’s time for another project.”

The bridge will be closed to repair steel connections, electrical systems, concrete surfaces and to paint a portion of the bridge.

“As of right now, the bridge is plenty safe,” Kivisto said. “But it is something that continues to wear, so we’re stopping the deterioration before it becomes more advanced.”

Impact on Vehicles, Watercraft

What the project means for cars, trucks and pedestrian traffic on the Stillwater Lift Bridge is that it will be closed from Sept. 10 until the repairs are done.

All traffic—including emergency vehicles—will be routed to the Interstate 94 Bridge at Hudson (see map).

During the 2005 repairs, the crews removed one of the spans so vessels on the river could pass through, Kivisto said. This time that won’t happen.

The lift bridge will be operable for boaters until Oct. 15—with parts of the navigation channel reduced by 10 feet after the Fourth of July—while crews repair the lift-span piers.

But starting Oct. 16, the lift span will not open from Sunday night to Saturday morning for three weeks. The span will then be closed to boat traffic until the project is completed.

The Repairs

Crews will repair some deteriorating concrete at the concourse of Lowell Park and the bridge. Crews will also repair the north rub railing on the bridge (the rail that separates the traffic from the bridge truss) and make concrete repairs on the piers.

All the piers in the water have deterioration, especially at the water line, Kivisto said. The deterioration varies from 3-5 feet. The crews will also make repairs at the bottom cord, where some corrosion that is occurring adjacent to the gusset plates, Kivisto said.

Painting will take care of the areas where corrosion tends to congregate, Kivisto said. The crews will blast pack rust off in those areas and paint the spans.

“Again, the bridge is safe, but it is getting tired,” Kivisto said. “So we’re taking the measures right now to make the repairs as needed so it remains functional for vehicular traffic.”

If the bridge was to be converted to a pedestrian/bike bridge right now, there would be different repairs that would be needed, Kivisto said. “But right now we need to keep it open for vehicular traffic.”