Historic bridge to be studied for rehab
Trending
A historic walking bridge in east Minot that has been deteriorating with age is being considered for rehabilitation.
The Minot City Council on Aug. 3 approved negotiating with AE2S of Grand Forks to conduct the preliminary engineering on the Eastwood Park Bridge to determine the extent of the necessary repairs, get concurrence from the State Historical Preservation Office and develop cost estimates for a future construction project.
The bridge, which once carried Sixth Street Southeast traffic, was built in 1927 as a vehicle bridge over the Souris River. Many years ago it was converted to a pedestrian bridge.
According to information provided to the council by the city's Engineering Department, the substructure is in poor condition, with significant flaking and chipping of the concrete. The bridge also needs to be cleaned and restored.
The Engineering Department plans to propose a timeline for the repairs once the preliminary engineering is completed.
The Eastwood Park Bridge was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1975 due to the significance of its architecture and engineering. The nomination was part of an effort to preserve the bridge. The need to keep the bridge had been questioned following its damage in river flooding in the early 1970s, according to Dakota Datebook Archive research by Jim Davis.
Dakota Concrete Co. is listed as the bridge's original architect in the historical register. However, Dakota Datebook related that the bridge, as originally approved by the Minot City Commission, was to be a rainbow arch bridge. Due to the high expense because of a patent on that type of construction, the company had T. W. Sprauge, a North Dakota Highway Department engineer, design a standard cantilever bridge that included a false arch, which is aesthetic rather than load-bearing. It’s the only bridge in North Dakota with this feature, according to Dakota Datebook.