Fireworks char popular bridge over Minnehaha Creek; span is closed for repairs

Someone set off fireworks on a heavily traveled wooden pedestrian bridge that spans Minnehaha Creek in south Minneapolis, charring several boards on the deck and leaving the span closed for at least another week until repairs are complete, city officials said.

Six to eight of the boards on the 230-foot-long Bryant Avenue bridge were badly damaged on or around July 7, said Dawn Sommers, spokeswoman for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Sommers added a warning that she thought should be obvious to revelers: "Don't set fireworks off on wooden bridges."

She said officials do not know who lit the fireworks or even on what day the damage was caused. No injuries were reported.

"This is a really popular bridge" with pedestrians and bicyclists, Sommers said. She said that if the weather cooperates and the necessary parts arrive on time, the 6-foot-wide bridge decking could be repaired and reopened by the end of next week.

In the meantime, walkers, runners and bicyclists can use the nearby crossings on Lyndale Avenue or Dupont Avenue to get over the creek.

The bridge was built in 1926 at the behest of Park Superintendent Theodore Wirth at a cost of $8,979. It underwent an upgrade in 2010.

Paul Walsh