DeSoto Bridge was a trussed deck- arch bridge that spanned the Mississippi River in

St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stear ...

. It was built in 1958 by the

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state' ...

. The bridge was painted black, which is typical for railroad bridges but unusual for a highway bridge. The river banks on either side are relatively high, so the bridge required deep trusses which arched over the river. After the collapse of the

I-35W Mississippi River bridge The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane, steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneap ...

in Minneapolis on August 1, 2007, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty ordered the DeSoto Bridge and two other bridges in Minnesota to be inspected. The three bridges have a design similar to that of the former I-35W bridge. The bridge was inspected on August 3, 2007 and found to be structurally sound. However, on March 20, 2008, four gusset plates were found to be bent. The bridge was closed indefinitely as a precaution and demolished in October 2008. After inspections by the

and the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

, it was determined that the DeSoto Bridge should be replaced. The replacement project started in September 2008 and was originally projected to be completed by June 2010. The new replacement bridge, named the

Granite City Crossing The Granite City Crossing is a bridge that carries Minnesota State Highway 23 across the Mississippi River in the city of St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. It was built to replace the DeSoto Bridge in the same location. Construction b ...

, opened October 29, 2009.

References

General references * Cited references

External links

Minnesota Department of Transportation - Hwy 23 Bridge in St. Cloud
Bridges completed in 1958 Bridges over the Mississippi River Buildings and structures demolished in 2008 Buildings and structures in St. Cloud, Minnesota Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Demolished bridges in the United States Former road bridges in Minnesota Truss bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States 1958 establishments in Minnesota 2008 disestablishments in Minnesota {{Minnesota-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links