Located on the north side of Austin, this steel stringer bridge crosses Interstate Highway 90 and US Highway 218.
Built in 1957, this was the fist segment of Interstate Highway opened in Minnesota. Originally authorized in 1955, this segment was well underway in 1956, when President Eisenhower authorized the Interstate Highway Act.
The third and final iteration of US Highway 16 in Austin; this highway was originally intended as a bypass for US Highway 16 around the city, known as "Highway 252". A major industrial center, the previous alignment built between 1934 and 1939 had grown unfit for traffic.
By December 1955, plans were designed and bid for a bypass around the north side of Austin. Soon after, the State Highway Department learned of the Interstate Highway Act, which was set to pass the next summer. Plans were redesigned for Interstate 90, which did not open through here until 1961, four years after original construction began on this bridge.
After I-90 through South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin was completed in 1978, US-16 was completely removed from maps in 1980.
The bridge here consists of a four span steel stringer, featuring a ballasted deck, concrete fascia and concrete substructures. The piers of the bridge feature concrete arches, typical of the earliest Interstate era bridges in Minnesota.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration. The future of the bridge is somewhat cloudy, as this segment of Interstate Highway is one of the oldest in Minnesota, and out of date. The highway between 28th Street and Oakland Avenue features a narrow median, and has concrete pavement that is nearly 40 years old. MNDOT is planning on replacing several bridges along I-90 nearby in the coming years, and it is unknown if this may include a complete rebuild through the area.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.