Historic Bridges

Holmes Street Bridge (Bridge 4175)

History and significance

The Holmes Street Bridge was completed in 1927 to carry US Highway 169/11 over the Minnesota River and into the city of Shakopee in Scott County. It also spans a road and former rail corridor (now a trail). The four main spans are riveted steel deck-trusses, with three parallel Warren trusses supporting the deck in each span. Because of its urban location as a gateway to downtown Shakopee, the Holmes Street Bridge was designed with Classical Revival stylistic elements, including recessed panels in the concrete river piers, open-arched concrete piers in the approach spans, ornamental metal railings on the main spans, and stairways and architectural details around and below the concrete abutments. The structure is significant as an intact example of a deck truss bridge, a bridge type that is rare in Minnesota.

Rehabilitation activities

In 2011 the bridge was fully rehabilitated and converted to accommodate a recreation trail for snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, and hikers. This work was funded with federal enhancement and stimulus funds. Rehabilitation work involved replacement of the lower chords, repairs to gusset-plate connections, in-kind replacement of the sidewalk railing and brackets, and repairs of historic concrete. Concrete repair work was completed by applying shotcrete for repair patches and to replicate missing features, then sculpting the architectural details; test panels were prepared and used to compare color and surface texture.

Location

City of Shakopee (Scott County)
Latitude, Longitude: 44.80026995, -93.52721811

Bridge features