Bridge L6393
See features of the bridge
History and significance
Bridge L6393 is a three-span, steel, Pratt deck truss bridge that spans Minnehaha Creek and park trails. The bridge was constructed for pedestrian use. Bridge L6393 was designed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and constructed by the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company in 1926. It was rehabilitated in 2010 to carry pedestrian traffic over Minnehaha Creek Parkway (part of the Grand Rounds Historic District) where Bryant Avenue dead-ends at the creek. The bridge’s location over Minnehaha Parkway likely influenced the aesthetic aspects of its design. Bridge L6393 is significant as a rare example of a continuous, cantilevered Pratt deck truss with arched lower chord in the state of Minnesota. Additionally, the bridge is significant for its ornamental design, which is expressed through the bridge’s overall arched form. The overall aesthetic, as expressed through the use of curved members and the decorative railing, reflects a contemporary response to the bridge’s location on the urban parkway.
Rehabilitation activities
In 2010 the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board rehabilitated Bridge L6393. The repairs consisted of strengthening truss members and repairing the steel truss cross frames, abutment end frames, and pier bent frames. Rehabilitation efforts also included replacing missing posts on the railing, and rebuilding the bridge deck and concrete approach spans. The entire bridge was repainted. Connections were created using button-head bolts to replicate the look of the original rivets.
Location
City of Minneapolis (Hennepin County)
Latitude, Longitude: 44.90829662, -93.28825050
Bridge features
Design and construction of a steel continuous, cantilever, Pratt deck truss.
The bridge’s overall aesthetic is a contemporary response to the urban parkway setting along the Minnehaha Parkway, which is part of the Grand Rounds Historic District.
Overall aesthetic treatment including the bridge’s arched form, as expressed
through the use of curved members extending the line of the bottom chord to the pier, and ornamental square post railing.