Mar 29, 2008 7:45 pm US/Central
St. Cloud Coping With Closure Of DeSoto Bridge
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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The DeSoto bridge was closed last week after an inspection showed distortion on some of the gusset plates. (File)
CBS
The St. Cloud community is learning to cope with the sudden closure of the Highway 23 bridge.
The DeSoto bridge was closed last week after an inspection showed distortion on some of the gusset plates. The bridge has a similar design to the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge.
Tom Terhaar has plenty of time to catch up on the latest NCAA action. Lately, he's not getting many customers at his downtown St. Cloud mattress store.
"Traffic is slow. It really has been," said Terhaar.
Traffic outside his store has changed completely since the sudden closure of the DeSoto bridge.
"It just makes it harder to go downtown, especially east to west," added Terhaar.
MnDOT discovered slight bowing of some of the bridge's gusset plates, suggesting too much load on the bridge. Now, the DeSoto bridge is closed indefinitely.
The abrupt shut-down caused some headaches for the city, as officials tried to quickly figure out detours. With six river crossings in the city, the detours now seem to be working.
"Traffic is flowing well, but there have been other impacts, like loss of traffic downtown," said Stephen Gaetz, a City Engineer.
MnDOT will decide April 10 whether the DeSoto bridge will be repaired or rebuilt completely. State Senator Tarryl Clark (DFL) says the decision will likely rest on what's most cost-effective.
"What makes the most sense is replacement. If it's replaced, it needs to happen as soon as possible," said Clark.
Highway 23 is scheduled for resurfacing next year. It would be ideal to get the DeSoto bridge rebuilt at the same time. If not, it could be years of disruption for downtown
Local leaders are hoping for a repeat of the fast tracking of the 35W bridge for St. Cloud.
Rebuilding the DeSoto bridge is expected to cost around $30 million. The bridge was scheduled to be replaced in 2015. With the passage of the recent transportation bill, that date was moved up to 2010.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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