Star Tribune photo: Leila Navidi
More detours are coming for St. Paul drivers when the Smith Avenue High Bridge closes on Sept. 5 and won't reopen until the fall of 2018.
Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists who pass under the bridge connecting downtown St. Paul and Riverview Cherokee neighborhood can also expect delays during 16-month project that includes putting a new deck on the bridge.
Temporary lane closures on Smith Avenue between W. 7th Street and George Street will continue through August as crews prepare for the demolition of the current bridge deck.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will hold open houses to explain the upcoming construction and traffic impacts from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Capital View Cafe, 637 Smith Avenue and from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at Bad Weather Brewery, 414 W. 7th Street.
Reconstruction of the bridge deck is part of a larger project on Smith Avenue and Dodd Road, also known as Highway 149. Additional work on Smith Avenue and Dodd Road is scheduled to begin in spring 2018. This includes:
- Resurfacing Smith Avenue and Dodd Road—Highway 149—between West 7th Street in St. Paul and I-494 in Mendota Heights.
- Improving drainage, sidewalks and pedestrian accessibility.
- Replacing signals at five Highway 149 intersections.
- Constructing an additional left turn lane from westbound I-494 to southbound Dodd Road in Mendota Heights.
More information is available at www.mndot.gov/metro/projects/hwy149highbridge.
