The Third Street/Kellogg Bridge in downtown St. Paul is closed to traffic for three years as a new span is built.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and other elected officials marked the occasion with a press conference Monday, to highlight the work that went into getting the project started.
“As we get underway with this three year project, I do have one other thing to say — downtown St. Paul remains open for business. I encourage you to explore a new route into downtown and support our local businesses,” Carter said.
Also on hand were federal, state and local officials including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, state Sen. Sandy Pappas, state Rep. Maria Isa Perez-Vega and Rena Moran, a Ramsey County commissioner.
“It’s a bridge that binds … It’s appropriate for what it’s going to do (which is) connecting all of St. Paul, and I am so excited to be here,” McCollum said.
Detours
The bridge officially closed Monday with Kellogg Boulevard from Broadway Street to Mounds Boulevard being shut down.
The $91 million price tag for the new city-owned bridge will include $80 million in state bonds, $7 million in federal funds and $4 million in local funding.
Crews from St. Paul Public Works prepare the Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street Bridge for replacement in St. Paul on Monday, July 29, 2024. The $91 million project will replace the bridge, deemed structurally deficient, that connects downtown St. Paul and the East Side. Now closed, the bridge will be removed in several parts, with replacement of the bridge expected to take three years. (Devanie Andre / Pioneer Press)
During construction, traffic will be detoured to East Seventh Street. Pedestrian and bike routes will be detoured north on Mounds Boulevard to East Seventh Street and south on Mounds Boulevard to Commercial Street and Fourth Street.
The Union Depot, which serves as a transit hub for Amtrak, interstate bus services and the Green Line light-rail corridor, will remain accessible from the Lowertown area.
Demolition is expected to begin this year, making room for a new foundation and substructure expected to be in place by the end of 2025. After that, beams and decks, and then railings and lighting, will be added into 2027. The new bridge is scheduled to come online by that summer, according to city officials.
Outdated structure
Approximately 10 years ago the project came about after city engineers dived deeper into the federal design standards for the bridge. They found that the bridge needed to be replaced due to cracks along the support beams and outdated design standards. After analyzing and comparing the bridge to updated standards, for crack repairs, the Third Street/Kellogg Bridge was deemed “structurally deficient” and “functionally obsolete.”
The new bridge will have two vehicle lanes going in both directions, taller concrete beams and bike and pedestrian trails on each side, which are protected by barriers.
Images of Lowertown, wild rice and a river, a smallmouth bass, an eagle and Dayton’s Bluff will be depicted on the custom railing for the bridge. On the pier columns, the Lakota symbol “Kapemni” — a symbol for intertwining and balance in the universe — will be etched into the concrete.
“This is going to be well-worth the wait, St. Paul … It’s going to be a game changer for anyone who drives or walks or bikes between the East Side and downtown St. Paul,” Klobuchar said.
For more information on the project, go to stpaul.gov.
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