US-61 Bridges at Hastings, MN

(Bridge Hunter, Historic Bridges, John A. Weeks III, see below for satellite)

While I was researching the railroad bridge at Hastings, MN, I noticed another truss bridge has been replaced by a tied-steel arch bridge.

This graceful 1951 cantilever truss bridge no longer exists.

Weeks

A four-lane tied-arch bridge was opened in June, 2013, to replace the two-lane truss bridge. In 2008 they found significant rust issues and sheared bolts. MnDOT, not wanting to make the national headlines again for letting a bridge fall into the river with traffic on it, decided they better find the $130m needed to replace it.

MnDOT

"The main span of the Hastings Bridge now boasts the longest [545', 94' high] free-standing tied-arch bridge in North America." [MnDOT-main-span] This web page includes a diagram of a cross section, but it is so small that it is unreadable! 

The 1951 truss bridge replaced this 1895 Spiral Bridge. 

Historical Photo from StarTribune

Minnesota Historical Society posted
On this day, April 17, 1895, this spiral bridge opened in Hastings, MN. It would carry horse and automobile traffic into the heart of the city for over fifty years before being replaced by a straight (read: boring) bridge in 1951.
ID: MD2.9 HS4S p8
Link: https://mnhs.info/3UIBlAQ

As we have come to expect, the arch span was built offsite and then barged to the location and raised using strand jacks.

LundaConstruction

The currently available Google Map image catches a stage of construction that clearly shows the gap where the main span will be installed.

3D Satellite

Photo by Fmiser 2012 Oct 11, License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike (CC BY-SA) from Bridge Hunter
New tied arch bridge going up.

Deborah Holdgrafer posted
Note the railroad bridge in the background

Deborah Holdgrafer posted
[Flood of 2019]

One of 21 photos posted by Deborah Holdgrafer

Screenshot
Used SPMT technology to load the arch onto a barge.

Aaron Seefeld posted
Marquette's Captain John Reynolds approaching Lock 2 northbound on Saturday afternoon. [May 2021]
[Towfan photos catch the 1981 railroad bridge in the up position.]

Aaron Seefeld posted
Marquette's H.E. Bowles waiting for her turn at Lock 2 on Tuesday, July 27.

Aaron Seefeld posted
FMT's Jill P. Harvey northbound through Hastings on Friday morning, September 24 [2021].

1 of 4 photos posted by DroneCity LLC 
Barges in Hastings. Test flight with a brand new Phantom 4 Pro Version 2. I wont tell this drone what happened to the last Phantom 4 I had.
DroneCity LLC shared

 

1 of 7 photos posted by Aaron Seefeld
Marquette's David L. Fields pushing 15 - something we haven't seen much around here lately. She was northbound through Hastings on Monday, October 3, 2022. 
Jeff McCarthy: Also, I can't remember the last time, if ever, I saw a tow with more than 12 barges. Is 15 an exception? I know that the bend in Hastings and Redwing is tight. I'm just curious.
David Webster: Jeff McCarthy .... Used to be 15 all the time into St Paul, but traffic changed to where shipping of more grain products north or west in the past 10yrs, & more loaded barges come in, than go out.
Used to bring 15 empties in all the time or a mix of loads / empties

1 of 6 photos posted by David Webster

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A video of a 2x4 tow going upbound