Hennepin County puts river bridge on hold

A controversial proposal to build a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River Gorge has been tabled for now. A number of folks were caught off guard a couple months ago when news surfaced that Hennepin County was moving forward in funding construction of a new river crossing that would extend the Midtown Greenway into Saint Paul. FMR and many others support the idea of reusing the existing steel railroad bridge to extend the greenway east of the Mississippi, but could not get behind a plan to build a $12 million suspension bridge 300 feet south of the railroad bridge in the scenic Mississippi River Gorge.

National Park Service staff from the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area met with Federal Highway Administration staff about the proposed bridge because it involved federal funds and crossing a federal waterway in a national park. It was determined that a federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required and possibly take over a year to complete, thereby threatening the countys ability to use $3 million in federal funds which expire in fall of 2008.

FMR sent a letter to Hennepin County Commissioners (100 KB PDF) laying out a number of potential impacts a new bridge would have on the scenic, environmental and historical resources in the Mississippi River Gorge. Many local citizens also contacted FMR and their elected officials with concerns about the proposed new bridge.

A few weeks ago, the county received word that it did not receive a $3.5 million grant from Transit for Livable Communities. The county has put the project on hold due to lack of viable funding options, as well as their recognition that much more review will be needed. FMR is hopeful that a crossing that reuses the existing bridge can be achieved.

Read more information on the proposed new bridge.