The Bridge of Hope is a concrete girder bridge that spans the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

between

Sartell, Minnesota Sartell is a city in Benton and Stearns Counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota that straddles the Mississippi River. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 19,351 at the 2020 census, making it St. Clo ...

and

Sauk Rapids, Minnesota Sauk Rapids is a city in Benton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,862 at the 2020 census and is 13,896 according to 2021 census estimates, about a third of Benton County's population. It is on a set of rapids on the Missi ...

. The bridge was completed eight months early, aided by favorable weather and trouble-free construction. It was built in 1995 and was designed by Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Jim Hill Group. The bridge is named in honor of

Jacob Wetterling Jacob Erwin Wetterling (February 17, 1978 – October 22, 1989) was an American boy from St. Joseph, Minnesota, who was kidnapped from his hometown and murdered on October 22, 1989, at the age of 11. His abduction remained a mystery for nearly ...

, a boy who was abducted from St. Joseph, Minnesota in 1989 (his remains were discovered in 2016). The name was chosen by a group of high school students who wanted to memorialize Wetterling and other missing children.

References

* * Road bridges in Minnesota Bridges over the Mississippi River Bridges completed in 1995 1995 establishments in Minnesota Concrete bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Benton County, Minnesota {{Minnesota-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References