"St. Paul's I-94 Closure Scrapped as Crews Struggle with Bridge Beams"
A surprise twist unfolded in St. Paul this weekend as the planned closure of a section of Interstate 94 was suddenly scrapped due to technical difficulties with bridge beams.
Workers from Lunda Construction had been tasked with setting the first beam for the new Kellogg Boulevard/Third Street bridge, but the operation was brought to a halt after the beam repeatedly rolled or leaned on the trailer, rendering it unsafe to maneuver into position. The situation necessitated an emergency decision by the crew, which ultimately led to the closure being cancelled.
According to Lisa Hiebert, spokesperson for St. Paul Public Works, the technical difficulties arose due to specialized equipment required to safely set the beam in place. With the interstate needing to be closed in order to complete this phase of the project, the work will now need to be rescheduled for a future weekend.
This latest setback adds to a string of delays that have plagued the $91 million bridge replacement project since its July 2024 start date. Originally scheduled to finish by the fall of 2027, the delay has left motorists and commuters frustrated once again.
The Kellogg Boulevard/Third Street bridge, which carries three lanes from Broadway Street to Mounds Boulevard, was initially limited in 2014 following discovery of cracks in its cantilevers. A decade later, city officials finally assembled funding for the bridge's demolition and replacement, a project now expected to wrap up next fall.
As work continues on this key infrastructure project, commuters are likely to face more road closures and delays – at least until the specialized equipment needed for beam setting is acquired.
A surprise twist unfolded in St. Paul this weekend as the planned closure of a section of Interstate 94 was suddenly scrapped due to technical difficulties with bridge beams.
Workers from Lunda Construction had been tasked with setting the first beam for the new Kellogg Boulevard/Third Street bridge, but the operation was brought to a halt after the beam repeatedly rolled or leaned on the trailer, rendering it unsafe to maneuver into position. The situation necessitated an emergency decision by the crew, which ultimately led to the closure being cancelled.
According to Lisa Hiebert, spokesperson for St. Paul Public Works, the technical difficulties arose due to specialized equipment required to safely set the beam in place. With the interstate needing to be closed in order to complete this phase of the project, the work will now need to be rescheduled for a future weekend.
This latest setback adds to a string of delays that have plagued the $91 million bridge replacement project since its July 2024 start date. Originally scheduled to finish by the fall of 2027, the delay has left motorists and commuters frustrated once again.
The Kellogg Boulevard/Third Street bridge, which carries three lanes from Broadway Street to Mounds Boulevard, was initially limited in 2014 following discovery of cracks in its cantilevers. A decade later, city officials finally assembled funding for the bridge's demolition and replacement, a project now expected to wrap up next fall.
As work continues on this key infrastructure project, commuters are likely to face more road closures and delays – at least until the specialized equipment needed for beam setting is acquired.
just when you think they're making progress... a major bridge project in St Paul gets derailed 
because of some technical issues with the beams? I get it, safety first, but this does put a damper on the whole thing. 91 million dollars and it's still not going according to plan 
. These closures are super inconvenient for commuters, especially if they're used to that route regularly 
. Fingers crossed the new equipment shows up soon so we can get back on track 
.
just another delay in a long line of them... think they should focus on getting the equipment right instead of rushing into it... safety first, you know? 
another delay in the Kellogg Blvd bridge project... like what's going on with those bridge beams 
anyway, guess we'll just have to deal with more road closures & delays for a while longer 
And just when you think it's all over for the day, some random technical issue comes along and saves everyone from having to deal with traffic chaos. I guess that's progress? 
i live in st paul and every time there's a closure on 94 i feel like my life is being disrupted. it's not just me, i'm sure tons of other people commute that route too. can't they just work around the clock or something? 
the worst part is that it's gonna cost more in the end and motorists are still stuck dealing with traffic jams...
. But seriously, it's frustrating for people who have to deal with road closures all the time. Fingers crossed they get the equipment sorted out ASAP so the project can move forward again 
!
I'm so sick of all these delays! 
Specialized equipment or not, they're gonna have to try again soon. Maybe this pause is actually a good thing... like, who knows when the bridge will be safe and open again? 