"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.