10th Avenue Bridge

The 10th Avenue Bridge crosses the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and also in proximity to the University of Minnesota. The bridge historically was called the Cedar Avenue Bridge from days prior to the construction of the I-35W bridge when it connected to Cedar Ave. The bridge connects 10th Avenue Southeast, on the east side of the Mississippi River to 19th Avenue South, on the west side. The Seven Corners area of the Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis neighborhood is at the south end of the bridge. The downstream end of the lower Saint Anthony Falls lock and dam extends under the bridge. The historic Southeast Steam Plant is also nearby.

The bridge is considered the crowning achievement of Minneapolis city engineer Kristoffer Olsen Oustad, who was one of four prominent Norwegian-American men who designed major structures in the region.

History
A bridge known as the "10th Avenue Bridge" was built upstream from the current bridge in 1874. That bridge extended from 10th Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis to 6th Avenue Southeast. It also was known as the "Tenth Avenue wagon bridge". The piers still are visible upstream from the current I-35W Mississippi River bridge. That bridge was demolished in 1943 to provide scrap for the World War II war effort.

Construction on the current bridge began in 1926, and it was completed in 1929. It was built to alleviate the traffic flows on the bridges serving downtown. The total length is 2,174.9 ft, with two central spans each 265.5 ft across. It has an open spandrel arch design, and it is constructed of reinforced concrete. Higher and longer than any preceding bridge in the region, it was originally 2,921 ft in overall length, 698 ft longer than the nearby Third Avenue Bridge. It stands 110 ft above the water's surface. The budgeted cost of the bridge in 1922 was US$943,209.71. For many years it was the river crossing for Minnesota State Highway 36.

A major restoration was undertaken in 1972–1976, and the approach spans were altered (they were not considered architecturally significant, even when the bridge was new). The south approach span was relocated to go straight to Washington Avenue.

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Roads in the vicinity were disrupted by the construction of Interstate 35W and a corresponding bridge (completed 1967; collapsed in 2007) one to two blocks upstream. During the days immediately following the I-35W bridge collapse, the 10th Avenue Bridge was closed to traffic, then later reopened; it was one of the most used locations from which to view the wreckage and the recovery efforts.

The bridge was reported to be deteriorating in 2015. It was closed in 2020 to replace the bridge deck and other deteriorating concrete components. It re-opened to traffic and pedestrians in November 2021.