Winona bridge to open Saturday for partial service; limits remain

The 67-year-old Hwy. 43 bridge won't be replaced before 2015, a Winona official says.

By PAUL WALSH and JIM FOTI, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: June 12, 2008 - 8:49 PM

They'll have to leave their boat trailers and semitrailer trucks at home, but residents of Winona and nearby communities in Wisconsin will be able to drive over the Hwy. 43 bridge no later than Saturday -- 11 days after Minnesota officials closed it because of safety concerns.

Work on nearly three dozen suspect gusset plates has been scheduled, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which will allow cars, pickups, vans, SUVs and emergency vehicles to cross the 67-year-old bridge by 8 a.m. Saturday. Commercial trucks, pedestrians, bicycles and trailers won't be allowed.

"MnDOT is confident that the bridge is safe to open to car traffic until repairs can be made to the gusset plates," said Tom Sorel, Minnesota's transportation commissioner.

Judy Bodway, Winona's assistant city manager for economic development, said the bridge won't be replaced any sooner than the state's schedule calling for a new span in 2015. MnDOT said repairs will begin by midsummer and be complete in late summer or early fall.

MnDOT shut the bridge to all traffic last week after finding corrosion on some gusset plates. Flaws in such plates are suspected in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge last summer in Minneapolis.

The closure threw a curve to thousands of commuters, who suddenly had to drive dozens of miles out of their way to other Mississippi River crossings. A bus-and-ferry service was quickly arranged to help ease the annoyance and expense of such drives, and it proved to be a popular option -- it provided 2,800 rides on Wednesday and will continue through today.

Commutes have been long

Dan Kirchner, who loads and unloads UPS trucks in Winona and lives in Fountain City, Wis., said the bridge closure added an hour of driving each way to his 15-minute commute, and the shuttle bus and ferry rides made it even longer.

The reopening of the bridge, he said, will "add three hours back to my life every day."

Bodway said bicycle and pedestrian traffic remains banned because improvements are needed on that part of the bridge. Photos provided by MnDOT show significant corrosion and tilting of the bridge's sidewalk supports.

Earlier Thursday, MnDOT said a 20-passenger ferry would be available for pedestrians and bicyclists through next week, but Monica Hennessy Mohan, who's in charge of transit for the city of Winona, said a discounted cab service will be available instead.

Also, Bodway said, bridge traffic next Thursday and Friday will be down to one lane at a time so inspections and data collecting can continue.

Bodway, who has lived in Winona for 24 years, said that residents and visitors have put up with the inconvenience "wonderfully": "They were patient and gracious as we went through this whole process."

As for making the ferry service permanent, Bodway said it's too expensive. The city's cost for the first week of bus and boat service was $85,000.

Kristine Hernandez, spokeswoman for MnDOT's Rochester office, said Thursday that officials from Minnesota and Wisconsin are still working on a reimbursement plan.

MnDOT outlined the bridge work for the coming weeks:

• Thirty-two gusset plates have been identified as needing repair. MnDOT will repair the most critical plates first to allow truck traffic back on the bridge as soon as possible.

• Sidewalks will be replaced along with cleaning and painting of bridge joints. After all repairs, the bridge should reopen to all traffic, including pedestrians and bicyclists.

pwalsh@startribune.com • 612-673-4482 jfoti@startribune.com • 612-673-4491

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