[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Beauty's Only Skin Deep

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Beauty's Only Skin Deep
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1189169763.shtml


   In my latest daring quest to walk all the streets of Minneapolis, my
   Labor Day route took me over the Lowry Avenue bridge, up Marshall
   Avenue, then to Camden across the 42nd Avenue bridge.
   The [1]Lowry Avenue Bridge was one my father really liked because of
   its mesh decking that allows rain and snow to simply drop through to
   the river below. Actually, this bridge also spans a Soo Line track on
   the west side, so the trains get some of the drippings, too.
   This is a nice looking bridge, recently repainted in a pleasing dark
   green color. On the bridge itself, the views upstream and downstream
   are the stuff of picture postcards, especially with the river flowing
   broadly now that the drought is over.
   The bridge itself gives one confidence, massive steel, joined with
   large bolts, nuts, and rivets all in plain view. But as pretty as it
   looks, as sound as it looks, it is also Hennepin County's number one
   priority for replacement. As you can read via the above link, one of
   its supporting piers was found to have shifted 11 inches. That has
   been addressed, but it's also 50 years old. Some components,
   presumably in the pilings and supports, were reused from the 1905
   structure. The deck plates have to be re-welded every year now.
   The cost of replacement as reported on KSTP-TV is about 30 to 40
   million dollars, to be part of the 2008 bonding bill most likely.
   According to the link, the average vehicle count is 16,600 per day
   (2001). That's vehicles, meaning it probably carries well over 20,000
   people per day, on par with the Hiawatha Line, which cost close to one
   billion dollars, over 20 times as much. Plus, the Lowry bridge carries
   trucks and other commercial traffic.
   Like the Stillwater Lift Bridge and some other overdue projects, it's
   time to replace this venerable, important bridge. If the 2008
   Legislature passes on this only to spend $200 billion or so on the
   Central Corridor and Northstar lines as I've heard would be absurd.

References

   1. http://www.visi.com/~jweeks/bridges/pages/ms22.html