old61 Historic U.S. 61: Stewart River Bridge

Stewart River Bridge

Located: On State Highway 61, approx. 2 miles north of Two Harbors.

Bridge #: 3589

Design: Concrete arch, 70 feet long.

Constructed: 1924, widened in 1939.

Historic Context: Early reinforced concrete highway bridge.

Also On:

Status: Open, rated as structurally adequate.

Access: On State Highway 61. A parking area on the south side of the highway at the north end of the bridge provides easy viewing access.

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North >> Gitchi Gami Trail at Silver Creek Cliff

South >> Buchanan Historic Marker

The Stewart River Bridge is a classic reinforced concrete arch highway bridge, originally built by the Department of Highways in 1924 during the construction of the original north shore highway. It was significantly modified in 1939 as part of improvement projects along the north shore, when it was both widened and lengthened. The current ornamental railings and the south face of the bridge date from this project, as well as 10 feet of the concrete structure at each end. Surprisingly, this bridge has held up rather well to the test of time, and was given a 92.9 sufficiency rating by MnDOT in 2009.

Map

Photos - taken in April, 2010.


Northbound view of the Stewart River Bridge from Highway 61. Note the stairs on the right that lead from the parking area to the river bank.


Northbound view of the ornamental railings installed on the bridge in 1939.


Another view of the railing, looking upriver.


Dedication plaque from the 1939 rebuilding of the bridge.


Full view of the bridge, looking south towards Lake Superior at the original 1924 north face. The joint in the arch where it was widened in 1939 is visible on the bridge's underside. Another joint is visible at the extreme right where the bridge was lengthened.

Sources

  1. Report: MnDOT Bridges Over 20 Ft in Length - 3/17/2009
  2. MnDOT Construction Project Logs: Control Section 3805
  3. Construction Plans for Bridge 3589, dated 1924 and 1939.
  4. Gardner, Denis P. "Wood+Concrete+Stone+Steel: Minnesota's Historic Bridges, 2008.

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