Winona bridge to reopen on Saturday
AP has the story:
WINONA, Minn. (AP) - A Mississippi River bridge that was closed abruptly because of rust and corrosion will re-open by Saturday, state transportation officials said.
The closure severed the only link between Minnesota and Wisconsin for miles up and down the river, leading to drastically longer driving times for commuters and worrying business owners.
The bridge won't be replaced any sooner than scheduled. Instead, repair work on 32 gusset plates will begin by mid-summer, with the work to be finished by late summer or early fall.
Tom Sorel, Minnesota's transportation commissioner, said the state believes it's safe to re-open the bridge to auto traffic.
"We felt it was necessary to open the Highway 43 bridge to some level of service as soon as possible to reduce some of the inconvenience to Minnesota and Wisconsin commuters," Sorel said in a statement.
For now, the bridge will be re-opened to cars, pickups, vans, SUVs and emergency vehicles. MnDOT said it plans to repair the most critical gusset plates first so that truck traffic can be allowed back on the bridge as soon as possible.
The bridge won't be re-opened to bicyclists or pedestrians.
After the bridge was closed, daily service by two ferries was arranged to help people cross the river instead of driving well over an hour on alternate routes. A smaller, 20-passenger ferry will operate through June 20 to serve pedestrians and bicyclists, MnDOT said.
The bridge at Winona was the third Minnesota span to be closed after inspectors found problems in gusset plates, which help connect the steel beams of a bridge's structure. Gusset plates that were too thin have been called a critical factor in last year's Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people.
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