One of four bridges and tunnels at Westminster Junction, this stone arch is the eastern of the twin structures north of Phalen Boulevard.
Built for a connecting track between the Omaha Road and St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba to cross the Northern Pacific, the bridge currently carries a BNSF track over a BNSF track.
Built in 1888, this small tunnel is actually classified as a stone arch, due to the overall width of the structure (70 feet).
Listed officially as being tunnel #2 in a Northern Pacific bridge book, it is believed the bridge was not completed until 1889. At one time, five total tunnels existed at Westminster Street. Today, four remain.
The bridge is also next to the northwest bridge, which features a concrete slab southern face, with a stone arch northern face. These two bridges share a northern portal, effectively forming a double portal. However, due to the dangerous nature of active railroad tracks and trespassing, the northern face could not be photographed.
Overall, the bridge appears to remain in great condition, and should continue to serve traffic for many years to come.
A sign at the junction indicates that these four tunnels were vital to the growth of the St. Paul railroad network. Before the construction of this two level junction, a major bottleneck existed.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the economic impact these four tunnels had on the City of St. Paul and the railroad companies that built them.
The photo above is an overview.